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THE    RIVER    COLUMN 


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THE     RIVER     COLU^^i^'^ 


A   NARRATIVE   OF   THE  ADVANCE   OF  THE    RIVER 

COLUMN    OF   THE   NILE   EXPEDITIONARY 

FORCE,    AND    ITS    RETURN    DOWN 

THE    RAPIDS 


BY 
MAJOR-GENERAL 

HENRY    BRACKENBURyM:.B. 

LATE   COMMANDING    THE    RIVER    COLUMN; 

FORMERLY    PROFESSOR   OF    MILITARY    HISTORY   AT    THE    ROYAL 

MILITARY    ACADEMY,    WOOLWICH  ;    AUTHOR    OF    '  A 

NARRATIVE   OF   THE   ASHANTI    WAR  ' 


WITH    MAPS 


Major    the    Hon.    F.    L.    L.    COLBORNE 

ROYAL    IRISH    RIFLES  ;     LATE   OF    THE   SURVEY 
DEPARTMENT   OF   THE   COLUMN 


WILLIAM     BLACKWOOD     AND     SONS 

EDINBURGH     AND     LONDON 

MDCCCLXXXV 


All  Ki^h/s  reserved 


Bt^iEF 


PREFACE. 


I  HAVE  written  this  simple  narrative  in  the 
belief  that  the  advance  and  return  of  four 
regiments  of  infantry  through  a  hundred 
miles  of  cataracts  and  rapids  in  an  enemy's 
country  deserve,  as  a  military  operation, 
some  permanent  record,  and  because  death 
has  removed  the  only  other  officers  pos- 
sessing sufficient  knowledge  of  all  details 
to  write  that  record  with  accuracy. 

It  would  have  been  a  pleasure  to  me  to 
take  this  opportunity  of  praising  those  in- 
dividuals to  whom,  in  my  opinion,  such  suc- 
cess as  the  Column  attained  is  chiefly  due ; 


VI  PREFACE. 

but  my  position  demands  so  strict  a  neu- 
trality that  I  have  thought  it  right  to  avoid 
all  words  of  praise,  lest  in  any  case  their 
accidental  omission  might  appear  to  impute 
the  semblance  of  blame. 

HENRY    BRACKENBURY. 
London,  September  18S5. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  KORTI  TO  MERAWI— ADVANCED  GUARD,  .       .     I 

II.  MERAWI  TO  HAMDAB — ADVANCED  POST,       .    21 

III.  HAMDAB — ORGANISATION,        .       .       -39 

IV.  HAMDAB — CONCENTRATION,      .       .       -54 
V.  HAMDAB  TO  KAB  EL  ABD — TOUCH  OF  THE  ENEMY,   73 

VI.  KAB  EL  ABD  TO  GAMRA  —  RETREAT  OF  THE 

ENEMY,  .       .       .       .       .       .88 

VII.    BIRTI — HALT,    AND   ADVANCE   OF   THE   ENEMY,     .       1 07 

VIII.    KIRBEKAN — RECONNAISSANCE  AND    PREPARATION,    1 36 

IX.    KIRBEKAN — THE   FIGHT,      .  .  .  .       I52 

X.   THE   SHUKOOK   PASS,  .  .  .  .       172 

XI.    SALAMAT  —  DESTRUCTION     OF     SULEIMAN      WAD 

GAMR'S    PROPERTY,  ....       197 

XII.    HEBBEH — THE    PASSAGE   OF   THE   NILE,      .  .211 

XIII.  HEBBEH — THE     SCENE    OF    COLONEL    STEWARTS 

MURDER,  .....      224 

XIV.  HUELLA — THE  END  OF  THE  MONASSIR   COUNTRY,      234 
XV.    RECALL — BACK   TO    SALAMAT,  .  .  .      246 

XVI.    RUNNING   THE   RAPIDS — BACK   TO    HA.MDAB,  .      265 

XVII.   THE  BREAK-UP  OF  THE  COLUMN — BACK  TO  KORTI,    2<S5 


LIST    OF    MAPS. 


PAGE 

SKETCH  OF  GROUND  AT  KIRBEKAN,  .  .  .  1 70 
SKETCH  OF  RIVER  NILE  AT  HEBBEH,  .  .  232 
SKETCH  OF  RIVER  NILE,  FROM  MERAWI  TO 

HUELLA,  .     .     .     .     .     .At  end 


THE    RIVER    COLUMN. 


CHAPTER    I. 

KORTI  TO  MERAWI ADVANCED  GUARD. 

On  the  mornine  of  the  24th  December  24th  Dec. 
1884,  I  arrived  at  Korti,  Lord  Wolseley's 
headquarters — having  up  to  that  time  been 
engaged  as  Deputy  Adjutant  and  Quarter- 
master General  under  General  Sir  Redvers 
Buller,  the  chief  of  the  staff,  in  the  organ- 
isation of  the  Nile  Expedition.  The  exact 
nature  of  Lord  Wolseley's  plans  was  not 
at  that  time  known  to  me  ;  but  I  knew  that 
his  original  idea  of  moving  the  whole  force 
by  river  to  Berber  and  thence  to  Khartoum 

A 


2  KORTI    TO    MERAWI. 

had  necessarily  to  be  abandoned,  and  that, 
if  Gordon  were  to  be  rescued  within  the 
period  we  had  reason  to  hope  he  could 
hold  out  for,  troops  must  be  sent  across 
the  desert.  That  this  was  a  more  or  less 
desperate  venture,  none  of  us  could  for 
a  moment  doubt ;  but  it  had  to  be  made, 
if  Gordon  were  to  be  saved ;  and  in 
the  four  camel  regiments,  camel  battery, 
camel  -  bearer  company,  camel  field  -  hos- 
pital, and  camel  transport  -  companies,  a 
force  had  been  specially  organised  for  this 
effort.  It  was  not,  however,  till  after 
General  Buller's  arrival  at  Korti,  that  the 
exact  nature  of  Lord  Wolseley's  plan  was 
made  known  to  me,  and  the  details  of  the 
scheme  had  then  to  be  worked  out. 

The  plan,  in  its  bare  outline,  was  as 
follows  :  The  greater  portion  of  the  mount- 
ed troops,  under  Sir  Herbert  Stewart,  was 
to  advance  across  the  desert  from  Korti  to 
Metemmeh,  establishing  fortified  posts  at  the 
wells  along  the  route.  Sir  Charles  Wilson 
was  then,  with  a  small  escort  of  infantry,  to 


ADVANCED    GUARD.  3 

proceed  in  Gordon's  steamers  to  Khartoum, 
and,  having  communicated  with  Gordon,  to 
return  to  Metemmeh.  Upon  his  report 
the  future  conduct  of  the  desert  column 
would  be  framed,  I  do  not  know  what 
instructions  Sir  Herbert  Stewart  may  have 
received ;  but  I  do  know  that  if  Stewart 
had  not  been  killed,  and  if  Wilson  had 
brought  back  word  that  Gordon  was  hold- 
ing out,  but  in  sore  need,  Stewart  and  the 
troops  under  him  were  capable  of  forcing 
their  way  to  Gordon's  assistance  through 
any  number  of  the  enemy.  And  I  know 
that  if  Wilson's  report  as  to  Gordon's 
power  of  holding  out  had  been  favourable, 
Lord  Wolseley  himself  had  intended  to 
join  Stewart,  taking  with  him  the  re- 
mainder of  the  mounted  troops  and  a 
force  of  infantry. 

Simultaneously  with  the  advance  of  the 
desert  column  under  Stewart,  a  force 
was  to  be  sent  by  river  under  command 
of  General  Earle  to  punish  the  murderers 
of  Colonel  Stewart  and  of  the  Consuls,  and 


4  KORTI    TO    MERAWI. 

to  advance  by  Berber  to  co-operate  with 
Stewart's  force  in  an  attack  on  the  Mahdi 
before  Khartoum,  under  Lord  Wolseley's 
personal  command. 

I  was  informed  that  Lord  Wolseley  had 
selected  me  to  be  second  in  command  of 
this  column  and  chief  staff-officer  to  Major- 
General  Earle  ;  and  on  Christmas  Day 
General  Duller  set  me  free  from  my  work 
in  his  office — bringing  in  Colonel  Wolse- 
ley, A.A.G,,  to  replace  me — and  told  me 
to  devote  my  whole  time  to  organising 
General  Earle's  column,  as  Lord  Wolseley 
wanted  me  to  proceed  at  the  earliest  pos- 
sible date  with  a  battalion  of  infantry  and 
a  few  cavalry  to  establish  an  advanced 
post  at  Hamdab,  above  the  portion  of 
river  marked  in  the  map  as  the  Geren- 
did  cataract,  and  near  the  point  (Dugiyet) 
where  the  desert  road  from  Berber  strikes 
the  river.  General  Earle  was  at  this  time 
at  Dongola. 

I    had  some  few   details   to  discuss  with 
Herbert  Stewart.     The  cavalry  of  the  ex- 


ADVANCED    GUARD.  5 

pedition — five  troops — was  to  be  evenly 
divided  between  us  ;  and  tlie  Royal  Engin- 
eers, who  had  reached  Korti  in  boats,  were, 
with  their  equipment,  to  be  divided  into  two 
portions — one  to  accompany  the  desert  and 
one  the  river  column.  We  had  no  difficulty 
in  settling  matters  amicably. 

The  first  battalion  of  the  South  Stafford- 
shire Reeiment — the  battalion  which  had  first 
ascended  the  river  in  whalers — was  to  lead 
the  advance  up  the  river.  I  had  accom- 
panied them  on  their  start  from  Gemai 
dockyard,  above  the  second  cataract,  to 
Sarras  ;  and  had  congratulated  Colonel  Eyre 
upon  the  strange  chance  which  had  given 
him,  as  the  boat  at  the  head  of  his  column, 
that  bearing  the  number  38,  the  old  number 
of  his  regiment ;  and  knowing  what  a  keen 
soldier  he  was,  I  was  glad  to  have  him  with 
me  now.^ 

In  making  the  preparations  for  a  start,  it 

^  AnoUiL'i-  curious  coincidence  was  the  fact  that  the  first  boat 
taken  up  through  the  great  gate  of  the  second  cataract,  under 
the  superintendence  of  Colonel  Butler,  bore  the  number  69 — the 
number  of  his  old  regiment,  of  whose  "Records"  he  is  the  historian. 


6  KORTI    TO    MERAWI. 

was  found  that  the  original  Hberal  allowance 
of  boat-gear  with  which  the  troops  had  start- 
ed had  been  sadly  reduced  by  the  journey  up 
the  river,  and  that  we  could  not  count  upon 
more  than  eight  oars  and  two  poles  per 
boat.  And  as  the  supplies  of  food  brought 
up  by  the  Staffords  were  being  taken  in  great 
quantities  for  the  desert  column,  we  had 
to  content  ourselves  with  thirty  days'  boat 
rations  for  the  present.  In  a  memo,  written 
to  Colonel  Eyre  on  the  26th,  authorising 
an  issue  of  soap,  I  said  :  "In  this  and  every 
similar  issue,  you  must  impress  upon  your 
men  the  necessity  of  economy.  They  have 
many  weeks,  probably  some  months,  of  work 
yet  before  them,  and  all  supplies  are  limited 
in  quantity." 

At  this  time  Colonel  Colvile  was  at  Mer- 
awi,  or  rather  at  Abu  Dom,  which  is  to 
Merawi  what  Southwark  is  to  London. 
With  him  was  the  Vakeel  of  the  Mudirieh 
of  Dongola,  Gaudet  Bey,  with  some  400  of 
the  Mudir's  troops.  The  Mudir  was  sup- 
posed to  be  collecting  supplies  for  us ;  and 


ADVANCED    CUARD.  7 

I  entered  into  telegraphic  correspondence 
with  Colonel  Colvile,  telling  him  the  quan- 
tities of  barley,  dourra,  dourra  -  stalk,  and 
firewood  we  required  to  be  ready  for  us 
on  our  arrival. 

On  Sunday,  the  28th  December,  at  2  p.m.,  28th  Deo. 
the  Staffords,  545  of  all  ranks,  entered  their 
fifty  boats.  I  had  issued  orders  previously 
to  the  following  effect :  "  From  the  time 
of  leaving  Korti,  the  company  will  be  the 
unit  by  which  boats  will  work.  The  utmost 
efforts  must  be  made  to  keep  companies 
together.  In  every  case  an  officer  will  be 
with  the  last  boat  of  the  company,  and  it 
will  be  his  duty  to  urge  on,  and  assist 
where  necessary,  any  boats  of  his  company 
which  may  be  falling  behind."  Working 
on  this  principle,  the  Staffords  started,  and 
in  thirty-one  minutes  their  last  boat  was 
under  way.  It  was  the  first  time  that  a 
whole  battalion  had  moved  together,  and  as 
it  was  the  first  forward  movement  beyond 
Korti,  it  was  full  of  interest.  Two  boats, 
containing  a   detachment,    26th    Company, 


8  KORTI    TO    MERAWI. 

R.E,,  under  Captain  Blackburn,  left  at  the 
same  time. 

Early  on  the  29th  half  a  troop  of  19th 
Hussars,  under  Captain  Aylmer,  twenty-six 
of  all  ranks,  and  thirty  horses,  marched  to 
overtake  the  Staffords,  taking  with  them  the 
horses  and  camels  of  my  own  party  ;  and 
in  the  afternoon  I  started  in  the  Monarch 
steam-launch  with  Major  Slade,  D.A.A.G., 
Intelligence  Department ;  Captain  Beau- 
mont, K.R.R.,  officer  for  signalling  ;  and 
D.A.CG.   Boyd,  of  the  Commissariat. 

Before  starting  I  said  good-bye  to  two 
old  friends  whom  I  was  never  destined  to 
see  again,  Herbert  Stewart  and  St  Leger 
Herbert.  We  had  all  served  together  in 
South  Africa,  and  at  the  storming  of  Seku- 
kuni's  fighting  koppie.  We  had  lived 
together  and  travelled  together  for  many  a 
weary  league.  Stewart  had  succeeded  me 
as  military  secretary  to  Lord  Wolseley  when 
I  went  to  join  the  Viceroy's  staff  in  India. 
St  Leger  Herbert  had  been  my  companion 
on   the  staff  in  Cyprus  as  well.      I  do   not 


ADVANCED    GUARD.  9 

know  which  was  the  keener  soldier  of  the 
two.  If  ever  a  man  loved  fighting,  it  was 
St  Leger  Herbert;  and  Stewart's  and  my 
last  words  together  were  the  mutually  ex- 
pressed hope  that  each  of  us  would  meet 
the  enemy  in  force,  and  make  an  end  of  it 
in  one  good  fight. 

At  5  P.M.  we  overtook  the  Staffords  and 
Hussars  about  twenty  miles  from  Korti,  and 
bivouacked  for  the  nio-ht  on  the  left  bank 
at  the  village  of  Kureir,  opposite  Hanneck. 

The  following  morning,  30th,  we  advanced  30th  Dec. 
to  Abu  Dom.  Having  selected  a  site  for  our 
bivouac,  about  half  a  mile  above  a  strong 
fort  that  had  been  built  by  native  labourers 
on  the  designs  of  the  Vakeel,  and  below 
which  the  native  troops  were  hutted,  I  vis- 
ited Colonel  Colvile,  who  was  living  in  a 
grass  hut  on  the  river-bank  close  to  the 
landing-place,  surrounded  by  groaning  camels 
and  by  natives  anxious  to  bargain,  or  clam- 
ouring for  payment  for  supplies  or  camels 
purchased  for  the  desert  column. 

I  now  held  an  interview  in  Colonel  Col- 


lO  KORTI    TO    MERAWl. 

vile's  hut  with  the  Vakeel,  who  was  hving 
on  board  a  dahabeeyah  close  by,  at  which  in- 
terview the  Turkish  major  commanding  the 
troops  assisted.  I  told  them  our  wants  in 
the  matter  of  supplies.  Many  difficulties 
were  made,  but  ultimately  all  we  wanted 
was  promised,  both  in  cattle,  dourra,  dourra- 
stalk,  wood,  and  wheat,  The  exceptions 
were  barley  and  flour — the  Vakeel  assur- 
ing me  that  the  first  was  not  in  existence, 
and  the  latter  not  to  be  obtained  in  any 
large  quantities,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of 
grindstones.  This  we  found  to  be  true  : 
there  were  only  two  large  grindstones,  of 
the  kind  which  are  turned  one  upon  the 
other,  in  all  the  district ;  the  flour  for  the 
use  of  each  family  being  made  by  the 
women  of  the  family,  by  pounding  or  rub- 
bing with  a  stone  a  small  handful  at  a  time 
of  wheat  or  dourra  placed  in  a  hollowed- 
out  stone.  The  result  of  the  interview,  in 
spite  of  all  promises,  left  on  my  mind  the 
conviction  that  Gaudet  Bey  and  the  Major 
meant  to  be  obstructive,  and  had  no  inten- 


ADVANCED    GUARD.  II 

tion  of  doing  for  us  any  more  than  they 
could  help  ;  and  I  gave  the  Vakeel  to  under- 
stand that  we  must  have  what  we  wanted, 
and  that  the  military  commander  must  now 
reign  supreme, 

Colvile,  Slade,  and  I  then  proceeded  up 
the  river  in  the  picket-boat,  with  a  view  to 
selecting  a  camping-ground  at  Belal ;  but, 
finding  we  should  not  have  time  to  get  so 
far,  we  returned  to  Abu  Dom.  Immediately 
on  our  return  we  were  informed  that  a  mes- 
senger from  Gordon  had  arrived,  and  that 
the  Vakeel  had  telegraphed  the  fact  to  the 
Mudir.  As  this  was  in  direct  opposition 
to  the  instructions  given  by  me  in  the  morn- 
ing, that  no  telegrams  were  to  be  sent  un- 
less first  submitted  to  Colonel  Colvile,  I 
sent  for  the  Vakeel ;  and  on  my  saying  I 
must  report  him  to  Lord  Wolseley,  he  re- 
plied that  he  did  not  care — he  was  not  Lord 
Wolseley 's  Vakeel.  As  I  found  that  he 
had  not  collected  the  supplies  which  he  had 
promised  to  collect  on  the  opposite  bank 
for  our  troops,  and  had  replied,  when  asked 


12  KORTI    TO    MERAWI. 

about  it,  that  he  had  not  time  to  discuss  the 
matter,  I  telegraphed  to  General  Duller  that 
I  thought  we  should  do  better  to  send  the 
Vakeel  away,  and  appoint  the  Kasheef  of 
Belal,  Mohammed  Effendi  Wad  Kenaish,  to 
act  in  his  place.  The  same  night  I  received 
a  telegram  from  General  Duller  saying  that 
a  very  civil  message  had  been  sent  to  the 
Vakeel  requesting  him  to  come  to  Korti, 
and  one  from  Sir  C.  Wilson,  asking  me  to 
tell  the  Vakeel  that  Lord  Wolseley  wished 
to  consult  him  on  matters  of  importance, 
and  begged  he  would  go  there  by  the 
picket-boat  next  day. 

I  then  saw  the  messenofer  from  Gordon. 
He  was  a  man  who  had  been  sent  by 
Colvile  with  a  letter  from  Lord  Wolseley; 
and  he  broufrht  back  that  now  historical 
letter  of  three  words,  "  Khartoum  all  right, 
14th  December,  C.  G.  Gordon,"  He  told 
me  that  when  he  left  Khartoum  all  was  well 
there,  and  that  provisions  were  sufficient, 
though  not  plentiful.  On  his  way  back  he 
had  reniained  six  da)'s  in  the  Mahdi's  camp. 


ADVANCED    GUARD.  1 3 

Sickness  was  prevalent  among  the  enemy, 
but  there  was  no  lack  of  food.  He  told  me 
that  Hashm  el  Moos  was  at  Wady  Bishara 
on  the  2ist  December  with  three  steamers, 
having  loaded  two  steamers  with  provisions 
and  sent  them  to  Khartoum.  He  then  added 
in  great  secrecy  that  Gordon  had  confided 
to  him  a  message  that  we  were  to  come 
quickly, — not  to  divide  our  force  or  leave 
Berber  behind,  but  to  take  Berber  and  come 
by  the  right  bank. 

That  night  of  bivouac  was  rendered 
hideous  by  the  Mudir's  troops.  They  had 
a  semicircle  of  sentries  from  the  fort  to 
the  river  enclosing  their  huts  and  Colvile's 
camels ;  and  they  shouted  the  equivalent  of 
"all's  well  "  without  cessation.  Each  sentry 
had  a  number,  and  as  soon  as  No.  i  had 
called  out  "  No.  i,  all's  well,"  No.  2 
shouted  "  No.  2,  all's  well,"  and  so  on  till 
the  last  number  was  reached,  when  No.  i 
beo^an  aoaln.  This  continued  throuc^h  the 
whole  night.  Colvile  was  used  to  it,  and 
did  not  mind. 


14  KORTI    TO    MERAWI. 

t  Dec.  On  the  morning  of  the  31st  the  Vakeel 
and  Gordon's  messeno^er  went  off  tosfether 
to  Korti  in  the  Monarch  picket -boat, 
Lieutenant  Tyler,  R.  N.,  who  was  in  charge, 
having  great  difficulty  in  carrying  out  his 
orders  to  keep  them  apart.  I  informed 
General  Duller  that  I  had  appointed 
Mohammed  Wad  Kenaish  to  act  in  the 
Vakeel's  place,  instead  of  the  major  whom 
the  Vakeel  had  named ;  and  was  instructed 
in  reply  that  I  should  have  accepted  the 
deputy  appointed  by  the  Vakeel,  and  that 
my  action  amounted  to  taking  the  govern- 
ment of  the  country  into  our  hands,  which 
was  not  desirable.  It  was  proposed  to 
admonish  the  Vakeel  seriously,  and  send 
him  back.  I  urged  by  telegraph  his  not 
being  sent  back ;  but  was  informed  that  it 
would  not  do  to  start  in  one  portion  of  the 
Mudirieh  a  policy  different  from  that  prevail- 
ing elsewhere.  I  vainly  represented  that 
part  of  this  portion  of  the  Mudirieh  was  in 
rebellion,  and  taxes  could  not  be  collected  ; 
that  the  Vakeel  confessed  himself  unable  to 


ADVANCED    GUARD.  15 

punish  the  persons  who  cut  the  telegraph; 
that,  according  to  the  Vakeel,  El  Zain,  with 
some  of  the  Mahdi's  dervishes,  was  at 
Hamdab,  and  that  these  were  reasons  why 
the  military  authority  should  be  paramount 
here.  I  only  found  that  I  was  uselessly 
kicking  against  the  pricks.  Lord  Wolseley 
did  not  consider  any  of  my  reasons  sufficient, 
and  I  was  told  the  Vakeel  would  be  sent 
back  with  General  Earle.^ 

Meanwhile,  throughout  the  day  the  Staf- 
fords  with  their  boats  had  been  employed 
in  bringing  over  to  the  left  bank  the  sup- 
plies collected  in  the  Shoona  or  Gov- 
ernment store  on  the  right  bank.  Had 
I  passed  on,  leaving  the  supplies  in  the 
Shoona,  the  bringing  them  over  to  the  left 
bank  might  have  been  indefinitely  post- 
poned ;  and  in  the  present  temper  of  the 
Mudir's  authorities,  I  did  not  feel  sure 
the  supplies  would  ever  reach  us.  I  con- 
sidered it  important  to  show  that  we  meant 

^  The  Vakeel  afterwards  told  Colonel  Colvile  and  myself  that 
he  was  at  this  time  acting  luider  orders  from  the  Mudir  of 
Dongola  to  give  us  as  little  help  as  possible. 


l6  KORTI    TO    MERAWI. 

to  have  what  we  wanted,  and  were  cap- 
able of  helping  ourselves,  If  need  be ; 
and  this  action  had  an  undoubtedly  good 
effect. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  I  presented  Said 
Hassan,  the  Sheikh  of  Amri  Island  and 
King  of  Zowarah,  with  a  robe  of  honour  in 
Lord  Wolseley's  name.  This  monarch  had 
joined  the  Shagiyeh  in  rebellion  against  the 
Egyptians  in  the  previous  summer,  and  had 
been  badly  w^ounded  in  the  arm  when  fight- 
ing against  the  Mudir's  troops  at  Korti. 
He  had  since  thought  better  of  it ;  and 
when,  shortly  before,  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr 
had  sent  to  his  Island  to  bring  him  to  Birti, 
he  had,  according  to  his  own  story,  escaped 
and  fled  to  us.  This  noble  conduct  I  had 
been  Instructed  to  reward  in  what  was 
certainly  a  conspicuous  manner ;  for  when 
the  old  orentleman  was  clothed  in  a  scarlet 
cloth  robe,  a  crimson  fez,  a  sword  very  much 
gilt  with  sundry  gorgeous  tassels,  and  a  pair 
of  red  slippers,  he  was  as  like  a  monkey  on 
a  barrel-organ  as  anything  I  ever  saw.      But 


ADVANCED    GUARD.  1/ 

he  was  a  king,  and  the  act  I  had  been  per- 
forming was  one  with  which  every  reader  of 
the  Scriptures  is  famihar.  King  Said's  first 
act  was  to  beg  for  money  for  himself  and  his 
ragged  retinue,  and  to  try  to  drive  as  hard 
a  bargain  with  me  as  he  could.  I  promised 
him  finally  a  pound  a-day  for  himself  and 
his  followers,  provided  he  would  help  us 
with  labour  and  supplies  when  we  reached 
his  country — payment  to  be  contingent  on 
results.  He  never  was  of  the  slightest  use 
to  us  ;  and  as,  when  we  returned  to  Abu 
Dom,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  return  among 
the  rebels,  I  have  little  doubt  that  he  had 
only  followed  the  traditionary  policy  of  the 
Soudanese  sheikhs,  to  have  some  of  a  fam- 
ily on  each  side  in  a  war,  so  that,  which- 
ever side  wins,  there  may  be  some  in  power 
to  intercede  for  those  on  the  beaten  side. 
In  fact,  so  well  is  this  policy  recognised 
among  them,  that  the  members  of  the 
family  who  have  been  on  the  wrong  side 
are  thought  none  the  worse  of  for  their 
apparent  treason. 

B 


l8  KORTI    TO    MERAWI. 

About  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  tele- 
graphic communication  with  Korti  was  in- 
terrupted. I  did  not  learn  this  till  nearly 
nine,  and  then  at  once  sent  out  an  officer 
of  Engineers   with   a   few    Hussars   and    a 

O 

native  linesman  to  repair  the  line.  They  re- 
turned about  2.30  A.M.,  having  found  it  cut 
about  eight  miles  from  our  camp,  and  traces 
of  camels  leading  into  the  desert.  They 
had  repaired  the  line. 

On  New  Year's  Day  the  Staffords  con- 
tinued and  completed  the  work  of  bringing 
over  the  supplies  from  the  Shoona  ;  and  I 
rode  with  Major  Slade  and  Captain  Beau- 
mont about  eight  miles,  to  Belal,  at  the  foot 
of  the  Gerendid  cataract,  and  selected  a 
bivouac.  On  the  way  we  passed  close  to 
a  remarkable  cluster  of  p3Tamids,  many 
of  which  have  crumbled  away  into  gravel 
mounds,  a  few  retaining  their  pyramidal 
form.  Their  bases  are  buried,  but  not 
deep,  in  the  sand,  and  the  highest  stands 
about  sixty  feet  above  the  present  level. 
They  stand  in  irregular  rows.      They  are 


ADVANCED    GUARD.  19 

made  of  blocks  of  pudding-stone,  of  which 
there  is  a  large  quantity  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, faced  with  one  layer  of  blocks  of 
sandstone.  No  native  has  the  vaguest  idea 
of  their  age.  They  are  undoubtedly  tombs  ; 
their  neighbourhood  has  been  used  as  a 
graveyard  from  time  immemorial,  and  is 
so  now.  I  inquired  at  Belal  if  any  curios- 
ities, scarabaei,  clay  figures,  or  antiquities  of 
any  sort  were  ever  found  there,  offering  to 
purchase  them  at  a  good  price ;  but  was 
assured  nothing  had  ever  been  found.  On 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  about  equally 
distant  from  its  present  bed,  stands  another 
cluster  of  similar  pyramids  near  the  hill 
known  as  Jebel  Barkal,  in  which  a  temple 
is  hewn. 

On  New  Year's  night  we  dined  outside 
Colonel  Colvile's  hut.  In  addition  to  the 
menu  furnished  by  our  rations,  we  had  eggs 
and  chickens,  pumpkin,  and  a  plum-pudding, 
a  most  delicious  melon,  a  bottle  of  cham- 
pagne, and  a  tot  of  whisky.  The  English 
mail  arrived  bringing  us  letters  and  Christ- 


20  KORTI    TO    ME  RAW  I. 

mas  cards,  and  we  sat  up  till  late,  speculat- 
ing on  what  the  year  would  bring  forth. 
Then  saying  good-bye  to  Colvile,  we  of  the 
river  column  sought  our  beds  on  the  soft, 
clean,  yellow  sand  by  the  side  of  the  sleep- 
ing troops. 


21 


CHAPTER    II. 

MERAWI    TO    HAMDAB — ADVANCED    POST.       " 

On  the  morning  of  the  2d,  at  six  o'clock,  adjai 
the  Staffords  moved  off  in  their  boats,  the 
Hussars  coverincf  the  advance  alon"'  the 
bank.  They  arrived  at  Belal  in  the  after- 
noon. Slade,  with  an  escort,  rode  over  to 
Hamdab  to  select  a  camping-ground  for  our 
concentration ;  the  rest  of  our  party  re- 
mained at  Belal.  The  Kasheef,  Mohammed 
Wad  Kenaish,  brought  us  excellent  wheaten 
cakes,  honey,  and  melons,  with  milk  both 
sweet  and  sour,  in  which  latter  condition 
only  the  natives  seem  to  drink  it.  The 
people  brought  dates  and  milk  and  bread 
for  sale  to  the  troops. 

Slade    received    information    that    there 


22  MERAWI    TO    HAMDAP,. 

were  about  600  rebels  at  Birti,  under 
Moussa,  the  son  of  Abu  Hegel,  sheikh  of 
the  Robatab  tribe.  Moussa,  it  was  reported, 
had  been  made  an  Emir  by  the  JNIahdi,  and 
was  anxious  to  advance  towards  Hamdab. 
Suleiman  Wad  Gamr,  sheikh  of  the  Mon- 
assir  tribe,  was  said  to  have  objected  to  this 
advance,  and  to  have  left  Birti  on  the  29th 
December  with  the  intention  of  proceeding  to 
Berber,  and  reporting  the  matter  to  Moham- 
med el  Kheir,  the  Mahdi's  Emir  of  Berber. 

We  also  learnt  the  particulars  of  a  raid 
which  had  been  made  much  nearer  to  us  on 
the  last  day  of  the  year,  and  of  which  we 
had  received  information  at  Abu  Dom.  El 
Zain,  a  well  known  robber  chief,  with  forty 
followers,  had  raided  from  the  wells  of  El 
Koua,  thirty  miles  out  on  the  road  from 
Dugiyet  to  Berber,  and  had  captured  nearly 
200  camels  which  were  orazino-  in  the  desert 
about  two  hours'  march  from  the  river.  A 
large  number  of  these  camels  belonged  to 
the  Kasheef  of  Belal. 

We  were  now,  it  appeared,  really  begin- 


ADVANCED    POST.  23 

ning  to  approach  a  hostile  country.  Thirty- 
miles  in  front  of  us  was  a  force  of  Mon- 
assir  and  Robatab  ready  to  fight,  under  a 
commander  who  wanted  to  lead  them  on  ; 
and  thirty  miles  on  our  right  flank  was  a 
famous  raider  with  a  number  of  followers 
more  bold  than  numerous.  We  had  been 
so  long  sitting  still  without  a  prospect  of  a 
fight,  that  we  had  begun  almost  to  disbelieve 
in  the  possibility  of  one ;  but  our  prospects 
were  apparently  brightening. 

We  had  a  pleasant  enough  spot  for  our 
bivouac,  with  good  anchorage,  and  a  grove 
of  palm-trees  close  by.  But  we  noticed 
that  the  desert  had  now  become  rocky,  and 
the  rocks  came  close  down  to  the  river. 
The  fine  open  sandy  plain,  so  favourable 
for  the  development  of  modern  infantry 
fire,  so  fatal  to  the  Arab  rush,  had  disap- 
peared. We  had  entered  into  the  region  of 
rocks  and  cataracts,  that  we  were  to  carry 
with  us  almost  to  the  furthest  limits  of 
the  country  of  the  Monassir. 

On  the  3d  we  again  advanced,  our  lead-  3d  Jan. 


24  MERAWI    TO    HAM  DAB, 

ing  boats  reaching  their  camping-ground  at 
Hamdab  at  one  o'clock,  and  the  last  boat 
closing  up  to  them  by  two ;  and  this  in  spite 
of  Omar,  the  sheikh  of  Duaim,  whom  we  had 
chartered  as  a  j^ilot,  running  Colonel  Eyre's 
boat  on  a  rock.  We  found  no  cataract, 
only  a  very  rapid  stream  between  rocks, 
against  which  the  men  were  able  to  row. 
And  so  the  Gerendid  cataract,^  of  which  we 
had  a  picture  in  the  Intelligence  Depart- 
ment publications,  did  not  exist ;  and  we 
began  to  congratulate  ourselves  on  the 
prospect  of  an  easy  ascent  to  Berber. 

News  reached  us  that  a  party  of  fifty 
dervishes  (the  generic  name  for  the  Mahdi's 
followers,  dressed  in  his  patchwork  uniform) 
was  on  the  right  bank  opposite  Ooli  Is- 
land ;  and  that  El  Zain  at  El  Koua  had  been 
reinforced  by  forty  men  from  Berber.  We 
were  now  beyond  Dugiyet,  and  the  point, 
marked  by  a  solitary  dom-palm,  where  the 
chief  desert -track  from    Berber  strikes  the 

^  No  native  of  the  district  Iiad  ever  heard  this  name.     The 
local  name  is  the  rapids  of  Ilajar  Oolad  Gurbar. 


ADVANCED    POST.  25 

Nile.  Under  these  circumstances  the  wells 
of  El  Koua  and  Bir  Sani  became  an  im- 
portant point  for  our  consideration,  as  the 
raid  made  towards  the  river  might  at  any- 
time be  repeated,  and  our  convoys  from 
Abu  Dom,  of  which  the  first  arrived  to-day, 
might  be  molested.  But  my  handful  of 
cavalry  was  too  small  to  attempt  any  coun- 
terstroke  in  that  direction,  and  I  tele- 
graphed to  Korti  asking  for  more  cavalry, 
and  expressing  the  desire  that  the  Mudir's 
troops,  whom  I  had  been  directed  not  to 
move,  should  cross  the  river,  and  encamp 
on  the  opposite  bank  to  us,  so  as  to  prevent 
small  parties  of  dervishes,  such  as  we  were 
informed  were  near  Ooli  Island,  firing 
across  the  river  into  our  camp  at  night. 

Not  liking  the  camp  selected  by  Slade,  4ti'Jan. 
I  rode  out  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  and 
chose  another  site  about  a  mile  farther 
up  stream,  with  good  anchorage,  and  an 
excellent  position  for  a  small  defensive 
work,  on  the  site  of  an  old  mud  fort  placed 
on  a  rocky  spur  jutting  out  into  the.  ,Nile, 

.-^^       C.-V        --'Sk  r*» 


26  MERAWI    TO    HAMDAB. 

and  commanding-  the  river  and  the  camp. 
We  then  rode  on  to  Jebel  Kulgeih,  about 
five  miles  to  the  front,  and  ascended  the 
mountain.  From  it  we  could  see  for  many 
miles  in  every  direction  ;  but  only  about 
three  miles  of  actual  river  were  visible 
beyond  the  mountain,  as  the  islands  over- 
lap and  close  the  view  near  Ooli  Island. 
We  could  see  enough,  however,  to  assure 
us  that  there  was  nothing-  to  stop  the  boats' 
progress  from  Hamdab  to  Ooli. 

As  far  as  Belal  we  had  been  travelling 
through  a  rich  country  with  much  cultiva- 
tion ;  at  Belal,  as  already  stated,  the  rocks 
came  down  to  near  the  river,  and  from 
Belal  to  Hamdab  but  little  cultivation  ex- 
isted. Beyond  Hamdab  the  amount  of 
cultivation  still  further  diminished,  and  the 
people,  who  up  to  Hamdab  had  been  friend- 
ly, became  more  shy,  several  houses  being 
deserted.  But  from  Kulgeili  to  Ooli 
there  was  not  a  sio-n  of  life.  One  or  two 
strips  of  neglected  cultivation  existed,  but 
every  hovel  was  deserted.    Hamdab  marked 


ADVANCED    POST.  2/ 

the  limits  of  territory  within  which  the 
Mudir  had  collected  taxes  since  the  re- 
bellion began  ;  and  those  beyond  that  limit, 
not  having-  paid  taxes,  had  doubtless  guilty 
consciences,  and  the  fear  bred  thereof.  We 
read,  however,  to  those  of  them  whom  we 
could  assemble  between  Belal  and  Kulgeili, 
Lord  Wolseley's  proclamation  of  friendli- 
ness to  the  Shagiyeh,  and  left  copies  of  it 
with  them. 

In  the  afternoon  General  Earle  arrived 
with  his  aide-de-camp,  Lieut.  St  Aubyn,  and 
Brigade- Major,  Major  Boyle,  and  assumed 
command.  He  brouo^ht  with  him  Lord  Wol- 
seley's  instructions,  which  had  been  shown 
to  me  before  leaving  Korti.  In  them  he  was 
informed  that  his  force  was  to  consist  of — 

One  squadron  19th  Hussars; 

The  Staffordshire  Regiment ; 

The  Royal  Highlanders  ; 

The  Duke  of  Cornwall's  Light  Infantry; 

The  Gordon  Highlanders  ; 

A  battery  of  Egyptian  Artillery  ; 

The  Egyptian  Camel  Corps ; 


28  MERAWI    TO    HAMDAB. 

Headquarters  and  300  camels  of  the 
I  ith  Transport  Company  ; 
and  that  in  addition  another  regiment  would 
be  placed  at  his  disposal  to  form  posts  between 
Merawi  and  Abu  Hamed.  He  was  to  con- 
centrate at  Abu  Hamed,  and  advance  thence 
as  soon  as  he  had  collected  a  hundred  days' 
supplies  per  man.  Major  Rundle,  who  had 
a  large  quantity  of  rations  at  Korosko,  had 
undertaken  to  have  a  convoy  of  supplies  at 
Abu  Hamed  four  days  after  General  Earle's 
arrival  there.  After  filling  up  with  supplies 
at  Abu  Hamed,  General  Earle  was  to  ad- 
vance upon  Berber ;  and  having  secured 
that  place,  to  endeavour  to  forward  as 
many  supplies  as  possible  to  the  force 
which  would  have  proceeded  by  land  to 
Khartoum.  A  portion  of  the  Mudir's 
troops  was  told  off  to  accompany  General 
Earle's  force.  He  mi^rht  use  them  as  he 
thought  fit,  but  it  was  suggested  he  should 
employ  them  to  collect  supplies  in  the 
Monassir  country.  He  was  to  treat  all 
tribes   as   friends  (except  the    Monassir)  if 


ADVANCED    POST.  29 

they  would  meet  his  advances ;  if  not,  he 
was  to  enforce  his  demands.  The  Mon- 
assir  were  only  to  be  treated  as  friends  if 
they  would  give  up  the  murderers  of  Colo- 
nel Stewart  and  his  party.  He  was  to 
occupy  Abu  Hamed  and  Berber,  and  such 
other  places  as  might  be  necessary  for  the 
safety  of  his  line ;  and  to  consider  it  of 
first  importance  to  place  75,000  rations  at 
Shendy  at  the  disposal  of  the  force  operat- 
ing by  the  desert  as  quickly  as  possible. 

To  the  above  military  instructions  some 
political  instructions  were  added  for  Gene- 
ral Earle  in  his  dealino-s  with  the  various 
tribes.  The  sheikhs,  he  was  told,  might  be 
informed  that  the  English  policy  was,  in  the 
first  place,  to  restore  peace  and  tranquillity 
to  the  country,  and  then  to  establish  some 
form  of  native  government  which  would  be 
acceptable  to  the  people.  The  English 
Government  did  not  intend  to  interfere 
with  the  property  or  just  rights  of  any  one. 
All  persons  wishing  to  submit,  with  the 
exception    of    the    murderers    of    Colonel 


30  MERAWI    TO    HAM  DAB. 

Stewart  and  his  party,  and  their  accom- 
pHces,  would  be  well  received  and  pardoned 
if  they  gave  in  their  submission  at  once ; 
but  those  persisting  in  rebellion  would  re- 
ceive the  punishment  they  deserved. 

For  the  better  carrying  out  of  these  in- 
structions, letters  in  Arabic,  addressed  to 
the  sheikhs  of  the  various  tribes,  had  been 
prepared  ;  and  General  Earle  was  in- 
structed, before  entering  each  district,  to 
send  one  of  these  letters  to  the  sheikh  or 
tribe  to  whom  it  was  addressed.  A  special 
proclamation,  offering  a  reward  for  the  ap- 
prehension of  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr  and 
Fakri  Wad  Etman,  the  instigator  and  per- 
petrator of  Stewart's  murder,  was  to  be 
circulated  only  when  it  should  be  known 
that  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr  had  fled. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  a  telegram 
arrived,  instructing  the  General  that  he  was 
not  to  advance  beyond  Hamdab  until  he 
could  do  so  with  his  whole  force.  Lord 
Wolseley  also  wished  him  to  avoid  recon- 
naissances as  much  as  possible, — deprecat- 


ADVANCED    POST.  31 

ing  reconnaissances  from  a  stationary  force, 
as  the  reconnoitrers  must  in  the  end  re- 
tire to  their  force,  and  such  a  retirement  is 
often  magnified  by  natives  into  a  defeat ; 
and  as  it  was  of  importance  to  prevent  any 
opening  being  given  for  such  a  rumour. 

On  the  5th  January  Major  Flood  marched  sHi  Jan. 
into  camp  with  a  troop  and  a  half  of  Hussars, 
completing  the  squadron  to  9 1  sabres ;  and 
the  troops  were  employed  preparing  the 
newly  selected  camp.  We  were  now  nine- 
teen miles  from  the  telegraph  station  at 
Abu  Dom  ;  but  there  was  lying  along  the 
ground  between  us,  and  in  the  river  at 
Merawi,  much  wire  belonging  to  the  old 
Berber  line,  which  had  crossed  the  desert 
from  Dugiyet,  and  Lieutenant  Stuart,  R.E., 
was  already  at  work  getting  poles  cut  and 
erected  by  native  labour.  Meanwhile  we 
had  established  a  daily  camel -post  with 
Abu  Dom  ;  and  to-day  we  received  by  it 
the  welcome  news  from  General  Buller 
that  Herbert  Stewart  had  successfully  estab- 
lished posts  at  Gakdul  and  Howeiyet,  had 


32  MERAWI    TO    HAMDAB. 

found  plenty  of  water,  grass,  and  firewood, 
and  would  return  with  the  convoy  to-day. 
His  expedition  to  Gakdul,  we  were  told, 
had  been  a  complete  surprise.  No  oppo- 
sition had  been  offered,  and  he  had  cap- 
tured several  prisoners. 
6th  Jan.  On  the  6th,  in  a  most  unpleasant  dust- 

storm,  the  troops  moved  into  their  new- 
camp.  A  market  was  at  once  established ; 
and  the  natives  brought  in  a  fair  supply 
of  milk,  dates,  dourra-bread,  and  other  pro- 
ducts of  the  country.  So  well  satisfied 
with  our  treatment  of  them  were  the  na- 
tives, that  several  of  them  afterwards  fol- 
lowed us  up  the  country,  bringing-  dates  to 
sell.  Three  of  these  met  with  their  death 
at  the  hands  of  some  Monassir,  near  Kir- 
bekan,  a  few  days  after  the  action  there. 

The  daily  record  from  this  date  to  the 
23d  January  would  have  but  little  general 
interest.  The  troops  for  the  column  con- 
tinued to  arrive  at  Abu  Dom  and  Ham- 
dab  ;  and  we  were  busily  occupied  in  per- 
fecting our  arrano^emcnts  for  the  advance. 


ADVANCED    POST.  33 

The  orofanisation  of  our  force  necessitated 
my  making  one  trip  to  Korti,  and  several 
to  Abu  Dom ;  and  General  Earle  had  to 
oo  once  to  Abu  Dom  to  brincr  the  Vakeel 
to  book.  Of  that  organisation  I  propose 
to  speak  in  the  next  chapter. 

Only  one  or  two  matters  of  external  in- 
terest occurred  during  this  period.  The 
sheikh  of  Ooli,  or  rather  a  younger  brother 
of  the  sheikh,  stating  that  the  sheikh  was 
lame  and  unable  to  walk,  came  into  our 
camp  and  asked  for  the  protection  promised 
under  Lord  Wolseley's  proclamation  to  the 
Shagiyeh.  This  he  was  promised  on  con- 
dition that  he  helped  us  to  obtain  supplies. 

At  1.45  A.M.  on  the  13th,  a  report  arrived  13th  ja 
from  Colvile,  saying  that  Omar,  the  sheikh 
of  Duaim,  whom  we  had  employed  as  a 
pilot  for  a  short  time,  but  subsequently  dis- 
missed as  incompetent,  had  met  two  men 
at  Belal,  who  stated  that  they  had  accom- 
panied a  force  of  1000  men  from  Berber  to 
the  wells  of  Bak,  half-way  between  Bir  Sani 
and  El  Koua  ;  that  the  force  was  armed  with 

c 


34  MERAWI    TO    HAMDAB. 

rifles,  and  had  a  great  quantity  of  ammu- 
nition, and  that  it  was  intended  to  attack 
our  camp  in  the  early  morning.  Cavalry 
patrols  were  at  once  sent  out  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Berber  road,  and  other  military 
precautions  taken.  Nothing  came  of  it; 
and  when  traced  to  its  source,  the  rumour 
appeared  to  be  a  concoction  of  Omar's  own, 
based  upon  the  fact  that  two  men  had 
arrived  at  Belal  from  Bir  Sani,  bringing  the 
news  of  a  reinforcement  of  50  men  to  El 
Zain,  and  a  report  of  a  force  of  1000  men 
having  marched  from  Berber,  under  Abdul 
Majid  Wad  el  Lekalik,  to  reinforce  the 
enemy  at  Birti. 

It  was,  however,  evident  that  unless 
something  were  done  to  stop  El  Zain, 
rumours  of  this  sort  would  occur  from  time 
to  time  ;  and  General  Earle  decided  to  ask 
Lord  Wolseley's  permission  to  make  a  raid 
upon  this  cluster  of  wells.  The  permis- 
sion being  accorded,  it  was  decided  to  make 
the  raid  shortly  before  our  advance  up  the 
river,  allowing  only  sufficient  time  for  the 


ADVANCED    POST.  35 

horses  to  have  a  couple  of  clays'  rest  after- 
wards. Accordingly,  on  the  17th  January  17th jan. 
the  Egyptian  Camel  Regiment,  with  twenty 
camels  of  the  Egyptian  battery,  carrying 
all  the  available  camel  water-tins,  were 
brouo^ht  from  Abu  Dom  to  Hamdab,  it 
beine  Sfiven  out  that  the  water-tanks  were 
being  brought  up  to  be  overhauled  by  the 
Enorineers  ;  and  orders  were  issued  that  on 
Sunday  the  i8th  the  General  would  inspect 
the  Engineers,  the  Hussars,  and  the  Camel 
Corps  in  fighting  order,  with  two  days' 
rations,  water,  &c.,  as  if  ready  to  march 
into  action.  Major  Flood,  19th  Hussars, 
who  was  to  command  the  party,  and  Major 
Slade,  of  the  Intelligence  Department,  were 
taken  into  the  secret.  No  one  else  but 
General  Earle  and  myself  had  an  inkling 
of  what  was  intended. 

Our  information  was  to  the  effect  that 
the  wells  of  El  Koua,  where  great  numbers 
of  cattle  and  camels  of  the  Monassir  were 
said  to  be,  w^ere  seven  hours  distant  (this 
time  would  not  represent  more  than  twenty- 


36  MERAWI    TO    HAM  DAB. 

eight  miles) ;  that  the  wells  of  Bir  Sani 
were  some  two  hours  farther  on,  with  the 
wells  of  Bak  intervening  ;  and  that  El  Zain, 
with  a  party  of  dervishes,  variously  esti- 
mated at  from  lOO  to  150,  lived,  with  their 
flocks  and  herds,  and  the  camels  they  had 
captured,  on  a  hill  called  Jebel  Katete, 
about  two  miles  from  Bir  Sani,  coming  down 
to  the  wells  for  water. 

Major  Flood's  instructions  were  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  Hussars  (about  60  sabres) 
and  Camel  Corps  (about  90  rifles)  to  the 
wells  of  El  Koua,  and,  if  possible,  to  Bak 
and  Bir  Sani,  to  surprise  the  Arabs,  take 
them  prisoners,  burn  their  dwellings,  and 
capture  their  camels  and  cattle.  He  was 
instructed  to  strike  a  blow  at  El  Zain  if 
possible,  but  not  to  be  drawn  into  a  serious 
engagement ;  and  it  was  left  to  his  judgment 
whether  he  would  proceed  beyond  El  Koua. 
Major  Slade  procured  a  guide,  and  was 
placed  at  Major  Flood's  disposal, 
isthjan.  The  parade  was  held  on  Sunday  at  i  p.m. 

The  Engineers,  having  been  inspected,  were 


ADVANCED    POST.  n 

dismissed.  The  mounted  troops  were  told 
the  General  would  inspect  them  after  a 
short  march ;  and  they  moved  off  into  the 
desert,  striking  into  a  khor  which  led  them 
by  a  short  cut  into  the  Berber- Dugiyet 
road,  some  five  miles  from  Dugiyet.  The 
secret  had  been  well  kept  in  camp.  But  it 
must  have  got  out — probably  through  the 
guide,  who  has  since  joined  the  Mahdi — for 
there  on  the  road  were  the  unmistakable 
traces  of  the  recent  passage  of  a  camel 
from  Dugiyet  in  the  direction  of  the  wells. 
Flood  marched  till  near  midnight,  and  then 
halted  about  eis^ht  miles  short  of  El  Koua. 
He  started  again  at  4  a.m.,  and  reached  a  igt'ij^"- 
cultivated  kJwr  (El  Koua),  where  he  found 
traces  of  hasty  flight,  but  no  cattle  or 
camels.  The  wells  gave  barely  sufficient 
water  for  thirty  horses ;  the  water  he  had 
with  him  was  little  more  than  enough  for 
the  men.  The  distance  he  had  already 
travelled  he  estimated  at  thirty-five  miles. 
He  pushed  on  three  miles  to  the  end  of 
the  cultivated  kJior,  where  the  rocks  closed 


38  MERAWI    TO    HAMDAB. 

in  and  the  ground  became  bad  for  cavalry  ; 
and  then,  considering  the  distance  and  the 
scarcity  of  water,  he  considered  it  advisable 
not  to  go  farther ;  burned  some  of  the 
Monassir  huts,  carried  off  some  grain,  and 
returned  the  same  ni^ht  to  Hamdab. 

The  raid  had  not  had  the  result  hoped 
for ;  but  it  was  sufficient  to  keep  El  Zain 
quiet  as  long  as  we  were  anywhere  within 
striking  distance  of  El  Koua. 


39  \ 

I 


CHAPTER    III. 


HAMDAB ORGANISATION. 


The  chief  care  of  a  General  in  the  organ-  5th  to  23d 

^  ^  I-  .  .  .  Jan. 

isation  01  a  lorce  lor  active  service  is  to 
ensure  to  his  troops  a  sufficient  supply 
of  food  and  ammunition.  This  requires 
a  sufficiency  of  transport,  which  again  re- 
quires food  for  the  transport  animals.  It 
may  be  assumed,  as  a  general  rule,  that 
troops  start  properly  clothed  and  armed,  so 
that  a  supply  of  clothing  and  arms  is  only 
required  when  an  expedition  is  likely  to  be 
prolonged. 

When  a  General  has  secured  for  his  troops 
the  reasonable  certainty  of  the  necessary  food 
and  ammunition,  he  is  at  liberty  to  turn  his 
mind  to  other  questions  of  organisation,  fore- 


40  HAMDAB. 

most  in  importance  among  which  is  the  care 
of  his  sick  and  wounded,  and,  in  all  ordinary 
expeditions,  the  evacuation  of  the  sick  and 
wounded  from  his  field-hospitals  to  hospitals 
upon  the  line  of  communication.  It  may 
safely  be  said  that  these  questions  require 
far  more  time  and  elaboration  of  detail  than 
the  strategical  and  tactical  questions  ;  and 
the  system  now  prevailing  in  all  European 
armies  is  to  give  to  a  General  in  command 
of  an  expedition  a  Chief  of  the  Staff,  who  re- 
lieves him  of  this  detail,  and  of  all  the  minor 
details  of  camp  routine,  leaving  the  General 
in  command  free  to  weigh  the  value  of  the 
reports  made  by  his  intelligence  department, 
and  to  decide  by  what  means,  strategical 
and  tactical,  he  can  obtain  the  greatest  ad- 
vantage over  his  enemy.  This  system 
ensures  to  the  General  in  command  time  for 
thought,  relief  from  small  worrying  cares, 
and  leisure  to  mature  his  plans  of  campaign 
and  of  battle. 

In   the    present    case,   the    river   column 
had  some  peculiar  advantages  in  its  favour, 


ORGANISATION.  41 

and  some  peculiar  disadvantages  to  contend 
with.  In  the  first  and  grreat  matter  of  food 
for  the  troops,  we  were  certain  of  its  not 
faihng  for  nearly  three  months.  All  our 
infantry  leaving  Korti  brought  one  hundred 
days'  food  per  man  in  their  boats, — food, 
supposed  to  be  of  the  best  quality,  specially 
prepared  and  packed  in  England.  All 
other  troops  coming  up  in  boats  brought 
as  many  days'  supply  as  they  could  carry, 
in  addition  to  loads  of  material  for  their 
special  services.  Every  effort  was  made 
to  economise  these  supplies  by  obtaining 
cattle  and  native  flour.  Troops  leaving 
Korti  brought  with  them  "way  rations" 
sufficient  to  last  to  Abu  Dom.  There 
native  bakers  supplied  them  with  bread 
baked  from  native  flour,  and  fresh  meat 
was  killed  for  them.  On  arrival  at  Ham- 
dab,  they  found  a  commissariat  bakery, 
which  we  established  immediately  on  ar- 
rival, by  building  four  ovens  in  the  river 
bank,  each  able  to  turn  out  nearly  six  hun- 
dred loaves  a-day  ;  and  a  cattle  depot,  which 


42  HAM  DAB. 

was  kept  supplied  by  local  purchase.  We 
were  thus  enabled  to  start  from  Hamdab 
with  our  supplies  of  biscuit  and  preserved 
meat  almost  untouched. 

As  originally  intended  in  the  orders  given 
to  General  Earle,  when  he  left  Korti  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year,  we  were  to  have  a 
battalion  of  Infantry  for  the  special  purpose 
of  forming  posts  between  Abu  Dom  and 
Abu  Hamed,  which  would  have  greatly 
facilitated  the  forwarding  of  convoys  of 
cattle  after  the  column  from  Abu  Dom ; 
but  on  the  15th,  fresh  orders  were  received 
to  the  effect  that  it  would  not  be  possible  to 
Sflve  to  General  Earle  a  fifth  battalion  to 
occupy  posts,  that  the  General  of  communi- 
cation would  not  establish  any  line  of  com- 
munication beyond  Abu  Dom,  and  that  the 
river  force  was  to  be  a  Hying  column.  We 
should  therefore  have  to  depend  for  food 
upon  the  supplies  we  could  take  with  us 
from  Abu  Dom,  upon  whatever  we  could 
buy  or  capture  In  the  country  we  were  about 
to   enter,   and   upon    the    promised   convoy 


ORGANISATION.  43 

from  Korosko,  which  was  to  meet  us  at 
Abu  Hamed. 

But  we  had  not  only  to  consider  how  to 
supply  the  European  troops  with  food.  We 
had  to  supply  some  200  Egyptian  troops, 
and  1 50  natives,  mostly  Aden  camel-drivers, 
and  to  feed  about  1 50  horses  and  530  camels. 
The  Egyptian  soldiers.  Camel  Corps,  and 
Artillery,  agreed  without  a  murmur  to  their 
ration  beinsf  confined  to  i  lb.  meat  and  i  lb. 
fiour,  if  they  were  allowed  a  small  sum,  which 
was  settled  at  half  a  piastre  (about  i%d.) 
daily,  to  supplement  their  ration  by  the  pur- 
chase of  vegetables  or  any  native  delicacy. 
The  Aden  camel-drivers  also  consented  to 
forego  their  authorised  ration  of  sugar,  salt, 
and  tea  or  coffee ;  so  that  we  were  enabled 
to  reserve  all  our  groceries  for  the  Euro- 
pean troops  and  Egyptian  officers. 

The  horses — Egyptian  cavalry  horses — 
which  had  been  handed  over  to  the  19th 
Hussars  atWady  Haifa,  and  the  ponies  of  the 
staff  and  regimental  officers,  were  in  hard 
serviceable  condition  ;  but  to  keep  them  in 


44  HAMDAB. 

condition,  they  must  not  be  reduced  below 
their  ration  of  lo  lb.  of  grain  daily,  to  be 
supplemented  by  such  green  forage  as  could 
be  procured.  And  this  meant  1500  lb.  of 
grain  daily,  or  five  camel-loads;  for  we 
found  that  300  lb.  is  as  heavy  a  load  as 
camels  in  grood  condition  will,  on  the  aver- 
age,  carry  for  several  days  in  succession. 

The  Camel  Corps  and  the  Artillery  had 
sufficient  regimental  transport  to  carry  six 
days'  rations  for  themselves,  and  six  days' 
forage,  at  a  daily  ration  of  8  lb.  of  grain  for 
each  camel ;  but  all  the  grain  for  horses,  all 
further  reserve  of  grain  for  the  Egyptian 
camels,  and  all  the  grain  for  the  Eleventh 
Transport  Company,  had  to  be  carried  by  the 
350  camels  of  that  company,  which  had  also 
to  carry  their  own  European  staff,  with  their 
kits,  the  kits  of  the  Aden  drivers,  the  equip- 
ment of  the  Hussars,  certain  headquarter 
baesfaofe  and  office  material,  a  lars^e  number 
of  iron  water-tanks — brought  up  in  case  we 
should  be  compelled  to  make  a  flanking 
movement  to  turn  a  position  by  the  desert, 
— and  all  the  flour  for  the  native  troops.  We 


ORGANISATION.  45 

were  fairly  well  off  for  transport ;  but  we 
were  going  into  an  enemy's  country,  where 
no  supplies  were  likely  to  be  forthcoming 
by  purchase.  It  was  said  to  be  a  very 
barren  country  also,  and  we  must  anticipate 
that  the  small  store  of  grain  kept  by  the 
natives  would  be  either  carried  off  or  con- 
cealed, so  that  it  was  a  matter  of  vital  im- 
portance to  take  the  utmost  possible  quan- 
tity of  flour  and  grain  with  us. 

As  it  was,  we  were  enabled  to  start  from 
Hamdab,  taking  24th  February  as  the  day 
from  which  the  start  was  made,  with  the 
following  supplies  :  about  eighty-five  days' 
boat  rations  for  the  whole  European  force, 
with  the  exception  of  sugar  and  salt,  of 
which  we  were  on  very  short  rations 
throuohout.  The  ration  of  sufjar  was  re- 
duced  even  before  we  left  Hamdab  from 
two  and  a  half  to  one  and  a  half  ounces  ; 
and  the  ration  of  salt  was  reduced  to  a 
quarter  of  an  ounce,  and  only  issued  on 
days  when  fresh  meat  was  served  out. 
This  quantity  of  eighty-five  days'  supply 
was  what  was  represented  by  the  number  of 


46  HAMDAB. 

cases  of  the  various  kinds  of  food  ;  but,  be- 
fore leaving  Hamdab,  we  had  become  aware 
that  in  certain  items,  especially  biscuit,  pre- 
served vegetables,  rice,  oatmeal,  and  to- 
bacco, considerable  deductions  must  be 
made  for  goods  damaged  by  water,  owing 
to  defective  packing,  or  rather  defective 
closing  of  the  tin  cases,  and  to  the  exposure 
to  wet  to  which  large  quantities  of  cases  had 
been  subject  in  leaky  or  damaged  boats  on 
the  way  from  Sarras  to  Korti.  We  estimated 
the  probable  loss  in  biscuit  alone  at  thirty 
per  cent,  almost  all  the  "  cabin  biscuit " 
being  bad  ;  and  accordingly  we  arranged 
that  the  convoy  from  Korosko  was  to  bring 
to  Abu  Hamed  supplies  in  the  following 
proportions  :  meat,  tea,  lime-juice,  pepper, 
one  ration  each  ;  preserved  vegetables,  one 
and  a  half;  biscuit,  sugar,  and  salt,  two 
rations  each.  The  orreat  loss  in  suQ-ar  and 
salt  was  due  chiefly  to  their  having  been 
packed  in  bags,  not  waterproof,  which  had 
become  wet;  and  partly,  especially  in  sugar, 
to  thefts  by  natives  at  the  various  portages 


ORGANISATION.  47 

alonof  our  lonsf  line  of  communication  from 
Alexandria  to  Korti. 

For  the  natives  we  started  with  sixty 
days'  supply  of  flour,  and  forty  days'  supply 
of  unground  wheat,  which  could  either  be 
converted  into  flour,  or  be  used  for  the 
horses,  if  the  supply  of  grain  should  fail. 
We  hoped  to  collect  cattle  and  sheep,  or  to 
get  these  sent  up  after  us,  in  sufficient  num- 
bers to  supply  the  natives  daily  with  fresh 
meat ;  and  as  a  matter  of  fact,  that  supply 
did  not  fail  us  till  we  had  reached  Hebbeh,  a 
month  after  our  start :  up  to  that  date  we 
were  successful  in  supplying  all  the  troops 
with  fresh  meat,  and  our  preserved  meat 
was  almost  untouched. 

For  the  horses  we  started  with  nearly 
forty  days'  grain.  More  could  not  be  car- 
ried for  want  of  transport.  The  camels, 
it  was  evident  from  the  first,  must  go  short 
of  tjrain,  and  subsist  on  the  cfrowinof  for- 
^Q-Q  unless  we  could  obtain  frrain  in  laree 
quantities  from  the  country  we  were  about 
to  enter. 


48  HAMDAB. 

For  firewood  we  must  trust  to  the  local 
supply  for  the  day's  wants  :  our  transport 
would  not  admit  of  our  carrying  on  from 
each  bivouac  more  than  sufficient  for  the 
following  day's  needs,  both  boats  and  camels 
being  loaded  up  with  full  loads. 

Such  was  our  provision  for  the  feeding  of 
the  troops  and  animals.  As  regards  am- 
munition, each  gun  had  a  hundred  rounds, 
and  about  280  rounds  for  every  rifle  was 
carried  in  the  boats. 

Our  transport  was  in  good  condition. 
The  boats,  in  spite  of  their  rough  work  on 
the  way  up,  were  serviceable.  They  had 
mostly  been  overhauled  at  Korti.  Many  of 
them  bore  honourable  scars  in  the  shape 
of  tin  patches,  and  there  was  rather  a  lack 
of  paint,  but  they  were  fit  for  work.  Our 
camels  were  in  sound,  serviceable  order, 
and  their  saddles  w^ere  in  good  condition. 

The  next  work  which  demanded  atten- 
tion was  the  organisation  for  the  care  of  the 
sick  and  wounded.  The  material  for  a  field- 
hospital  of  200  beds  had  already  been  for- 


ORGANISATION.  49 

warded  to  Abu  Dom  ;  but  it  was  manifest 
to  me,  upon  a  cursory  inspection,  that  it 
was  upon  a  scale  unsuited  for  our  river  ex- 
pedition. Twenty  hospital  marquees  were 
luxuries  that  we  could  not  afford  to  carry  ; 
meat  -  covers  and  meat  -  skewers,  however 
valuable  elsewhere,  were  out  of  place  here  ; 
large  pewter  measures  and  beer-taps  still 
more  so,  in  a  land  where  no  beer  is.  Pairs 
of  bellows  might  possibly  be  useful,  though 
it  was  doubtful ;  but  coffee-mills  could  not 
help  us,  where  there  was  no  coffee.  Sheets 
and  pillows  might  be  of  great  comfort,  but 
they  could  only  be  taken  in  such  small 
quantities  as  to  be  available  for  the  worst 
cases;  and  so  on  through  a  long  list,  includ- 
ing blue  waistcoats  and  trousers.  In  fact, 
all  superfluous  gear,  to  use  the  sailors'  fa- 
vourite word,  must  be  abandoned — sacrificed 
to  the  stern  necessity  of  utilising  every  par- 
ticle of  available  transport  for  the  carriage 
of  food  and  ammunition. 

Accordingly,    I   visited    Korti,  and  there 
saw  Surgeon-General  O'Nial,  the  principal 

D 


50  HAMDAB. 

medical  officer  of  the  expedition,  and  Sur- 
geon-Major  Harvey,  who  was  selected  as 
senior  medical  officer  of  the  river  column. 
They  met  me  in  the  fairest  way.  I  agreed, 
on  General  Earle's  part,  to  give  them  one 
boat  for  each  of  the  eight  sections  of  the 
field  -  hospital,  and  a  ninth  boat  for  the 
senior  medical  officer,  in  which  he  could 
take  extra  comforts  for  the  sick,  and  to 
furnish  a  sufficient  number  of  men  to  make 
up,  with  the  men  of  the  Medical  Staff 
Corps,  crews  for  the  boats.  I  undertook 
that,  if  tentage  was  necessar}-,  it  should  be 
provided  from  the  tents  carried  by  the 
troops  in  their  boats.  They  agreed  to 
reduce  the  equipment,  so  that  each  section 
for  twenty-five  patients  should  be  carried 
in  one  boat — a  few  luxuries  such  as  con- 
densed milk,  champagne,  lime-juice,  &c., 
being  carried  by  the  senior  medical  officer. 
Surgeon-Major  Harvey  proceeded  to  Abu 
Dom,  and  superintended  the  revision  of  the 
equipment,  and  its  stowage  in  the  whalers ; 
the  crews  for  the  whalers  were  sent  down 


ORGANISATION.  5 1 

from  Hamdab.  And  throughout  the  cam- 
paign, two  sections  of  this  field-hospital 
accompanied  each  infantry  battalion. 

The  resources  of  the  field-hospital  were 
made  available  to  the  utmost  by  the  aban- 
donment of  all  rules  of  red  tape.  Medical 
officers  of  corps  were  granted  the  power  of 
admission  to  and  discharge  from  the  hos- 
pital, and  were  authorised  to  draw  from  the 
field  -  hospital  at  all  times  whatever  was 
wanted  to  keep  their  regimental  medical 
equipment  complete. 

We  had  no  means,  nor  was  there  time  at 
our  disposal,  for  forming  a  bearer  company 
to  carry  wounded  out  of  action  ;  but  it  was 
arranored  that  the  eis^ht  stretchers  of  each 
battalion  should  accompany  the  battalion 
into  action,  carried  by  the  bandsmen  of  the 
battalion.  Each  corps  was  to  carry  its  own 
sick  in  its  own  boats,  and  the  sick  of 
mounted  corps  were  to  be  carried  in  the 
boats  of  the  battalion  to  which  they  were 
attached  for  rations.  For  it  is  one  of  the 
penalties  of  a  flying  column  that  it   must 


52  HAMDAB. 

carry  forward  with  it,  and  cannot  leave  be- 
hind or  send  back,  its  sick  and  wounded. 

A  paymaster  was  sent  to  us  with  about 
^10,000  in  money.  We  spent  about 
^1500  in  buying  suppHes,  in  native  labour, 
&c.,  before  leaving  Hamdab  ;  but  from  that 
time  forward  Major  Mackie,  our  paymaster, 
had  an  easy  time,  for  money  was  useless 
in  an  arid  desert  where  there  were  no 
sellers  and  nothing  to  buy. 

A  veterinary  surgeon  accompanied  the 
transport. 

Only  a  few  days  before  we  left  Hamdab, 
the  telegraph  was  extended  to  an  office  in 
our  fort  there.  This  was  a  great  boon,  as 
it  saved  much  time  and  labour  hitherto 
expended  in  sending  our  messages  to  and 
receiving  them  from  Abu  Dom,  nineteen 
miles  away.  The  country  was  quite  im- 
practicable for  heliographic  signalling,  ow- 
ing to  the  absence  of  marked  high  hills, 
and  the  presence  of  a  succession  of  low 
ridges. 

Before  the  24th  of  January  a  number  of 


ORGANISATION.  53 

Canadian  voyageurs  joined  the  column,  and 
were  distributed  among  the  battaUons  and 
corps  in  boats  ;  and  a  boat-repairing  party, 
under  Lieutenant  Kenney,  R.E.,  arrived 
with  repairing  material.  Its  two  boats' 
crews  were  from  that  moment  almost  in- 
cessantly at  work. 

While  the  work  of  organisation  was 
ofoinof  on.  General  Earle,  with  his  own 
hand,  drew  up  a  series  of  rules  for  the 
movement  of  the  troops  in  boats,  for  em- 
barkations and  disembarkations,  for  the 
bivouac,  and  for  precautions  on  the  march. 
He  also  designed  special  tactical  formations 
for  the  march,  with  a  view  to  rapidly  pass- 
ing from  column  into  square,  and  square 
into  column.  These  memoranda,  together 
with  others  drawn  up  on  the  system  of 
supply  during  the  advance,  and  the  medical 
arrangements  for  the  troops,  were  circu- 
lated ;  and  during  our  stay  at  Hamdab,  the 
troops  were  frequently  practised  by  General 
Earle,  in  the  tactical  formations  he  had 
devised,  over  the  very  roughest  ground. 


54 


CHAPTER    IV. 


HAMDAB CONCENTRATION. 


sthto23d    It  seemed  at  one  time,  during  the  earlier 

Jan.  .  -  .      ^         . 

portion  oi  our  period  oi  concentration  at 
Hamdab,  that  the  necessities  of  the  desert 
column,  on  which  so  much  depended, 
would  seriously  cripple  us  of  the  river 
route.  Colonel  Burnaby  had  been  pro- 
mised to  us ;  and  General  Earle  had  hoped 
to    have    him    for    the    command    of    the 

6th Jan.  mounted  troops;  but  on  the  6th  January 
General  Duller  telegraphed,  "  I  must  steal 
Burnaby.      I    do   not   know  who   else  is  to 

8th  Jan.  command  Metemmeh."  On  the  Sth  General 
Buller  still  counted  on  sending  us  the  West 
Kent    Regiment,  to  take  up   posts   on  our 

9th  Jan.      line  of  communications  ;  but  on  the  9th  the 


CONCENTRATION.  55 

first  note  of  alarm  to  us  was  sounded. 
"  Every  endeavour,"  General  Duller  wrote, 
"will  be  made  to  complete  the  infantry  of 
your  force  up  to  100  days'  rations  per  man 
before  they  start ;  but  it  is  possible  the 
difficulties  of  transport  may  make  it  almost 
impossible  to  do  this  within  a  reasonable 
time.  It  is  desirable,  therefore,  for  you  to 
consider  whether  it  may  not  be  possible 
for  you  to  advance,  say  two  battalions  of 
infantry  and  a  portion  of  your  artillery 
and  mounted  men,  through  the  Monassir 
country  to  Abu  Hamed,  and  so  open  the 
line  of  supply  from  Korosko."  In  this 
case,  General  Earle  was  to  keep  touch 
of  his  rear  battalions  ;  the  Mudir's  troops 
assisting  him  to  do  this  by  occupying  the 
Monassir  country ;  and  he  was  reminded 
that  for  the  present  his  main  objective  was 
the  capture  of  Berber,  and  that  for  this 
purpose  he  must  concentrate  his  force. 

To    this  minute    General    Earle    replied  loth  Jan. 
that  he  should  be  prepared  to  advance  with 
two  battalions  and  the  mounted  troops  as 


56  HAMDAB. 

soon  as  he  had  two  battaHons  of  infantry 
complete  with  lOO  days'  supply,  together 
with  the  portion  of  the  transport  company 
allotted  to  his  column,  by  which  time  he 
hoped  to  have  collected  forage  for  the 
animals  and  food  for  the  Egyptian  troops. 
He  considered  all  his  small  force  of 
mounted  troops  should  accompany  his  ad- 
vanced brigade,  and  he  did  not  propose  to 
divide  them,  as  opposition  was  to  be  ex- 
pected to  that  brigade  in  the  Monassir 
country.  He  wished  the  Mudir's  troops  to 
march  parallel  to  us  upon  the  right  bank, 
and  to  be  ready  to  occupy  the  Monassir 
country  as  soon  as  he  had  defeated  the 
Monassir  tribe.  He  asked  for  two  com- 
panies of  a  regiment  from  the  line  of  com- 
munications to  occupy  Hamdab  and  a  post 
in  the  Monassir  country ;  and  in  that  case 
anticipated  no  military  difficulty  for  the 
troops  following  the  leading  brigade,  mov- 
ing in  half  -  battalions.  General  Earle 
trusted  that  before  he  moved,  his  naval 
boat,  with  a  Gardner  gun,  his  boat  officers 


CONCENTRATION.  57 

and  voyageurs,  and  boat  -  repairing  party 
might  have  reached  his  camp.  He  urged, 
also,  that  his  commissariat  staff  should  be 
promptly  and  considerably  increased. 

In  reply  General  Earle  was  informed,  on  15th Jan. 
the  15th,  that  most  of  his  requests  were  in 
course  of  fulfilment ;  but  that  Lord  Wolseley 
did  not  approve  his  proposal  to  take  with 
him  two  companies  of  a  line  of  communi- 
cation regiment  for  the  purpose  of  forming 
posts  on  his  line.  He  was  instructed  that 
his  force  was  to  be  a  flying  column ;  that 
the  General  of  communications  would  not 
occupy  the  line  behind  us ;  and  further,  that 
it  was  improbable  the  West  Kent  Regiment 
could  be  rationed  sufficiently  in  advance  to 
enable  it  to  follow  us  up  the  river.  Our, 
at  that  time,  very  insufficient  commissariat 
staff  could  not  yet  be  increased,  because 
there  was  no  one  at  Korti  to  send  to  us. 
Our  land  transport  was  on  the  14th  only 
leaving  Dongola ;  but  Lord  Wolseley  was 
anxious  that  our  leading  battalions  should 
advance    at    the    very   earliest    moment  to 


58  HAMDAB. 

occupy  the  Monassir  country,  and  con- 
sidered it  not  necessary  that  we  should 
wait  for  our  transport  company,  desiring 
General  Earle  to  advance  into  the  Monassir 
country,  and  there  await  the  arrival  of  the 
transport. 

At  this  time  we  had  not  a  single  bao;oraore- 
camel,  except  the  few  belonging  to  the 
Egyptian  Camel  Corps  and  Artillery,  To 
attempt  an  advance  in  boats  into  an  ene- 
my's country  by  an  unknown  river,  without 
cavalry  to  scout  on  the  banks,  would 
have  been  an  act  of  folly ;  and  cavalry 
could  not  move  without  some  transport. 
It  is  true  that  I  had  moved  half  a  troop 
from  Korti  to  Hamdab  without  any  trans- 
port animals,  by  carrying  their  forage  and 
equipment  in  the  boats  of  the  Staffords, 
and  making  the  horses  and  the  boats 
rendezvous  together  at  night ;  but  that  was 
not  a  manoeuvre  to  be  attempted  outside  a 
peaceful  country.  Indeed  it  is  well  w^e  did 
not  attempt  it,  for  after  the  first  day's 
advance   the  boats  had  to  take  a  channel 


CONCENTRATION.  59 

which  effectually  separated  them  from   all 
touch  of  the  horses  for  two  days. 

There  was  another  strong  reason  against 
our  immediate  advance.  Our  leading 
battalion,  the  Stafifords,  had  been  sent  up 
with  only  thirty  days'  supplies,  of  which 
nearly  twenty  were  already  consumed.  It 
had  to  fill  up  from  the  supplies  of  the  Duke 
of  Cornwall's  Light  Infantry,  which  we  had 
halted  at  Abu  Dom,  and  which,  in  its  turn, 
had  to  fill  up  from  the  West  Kent.  This 
operation  could  not  be  completed  till  the 
22d;  and  if  we  advanced  without  our  full 
quantity  of  supplies,  we  should  never  be 
able  to  bring  them  up,  as  our  completing 
our  required  amount  depended  absolutely 
on  every  Infantry  boat  taking  up  its  full 
I  GO  days  per  man  in  the  boat.  How 
important  it  seemed  that  we  should  not 
start  without  our  full  quantity  can  be 
judged  from  the  fact  that  the  same  post 
which  brought  the  above-named  instruc- 
tions  to  General  Earle,  also  brought  him 
instructions    that,    subject    to    the    military 


6o  HAMDAB. 

necessities  of  the  situation,  he  was  to  leave 
at  Abu  Hamed  a  garrison  of  300  men,  with 
sixty  days'  supply;  and  at  Berber  a  garrison 
of  700  men  with  sixty  days'  supply,  and 
also  40,000  complete  rations ;  which,  with 
800  ardcbs  of  dourra  that  we  were  to 
purchase  at  Berber,  would  be  required  for 
the  use  of  a  force  to  be  sent  from  Berber 
to  Suakim. 
17th  Jan.  General  Earle,  therefore,  replied  by  tele- 
graph to  the  Chief  of  the  Staff  on  the  1 7th, 
that  if  the  latter  would  send  him  forty 
baggage -camels,  with  saddles  and  drivers 
complete,  at  once,  he  could  advance  on 
the  23d,  but  not  before,  as  the  Staffords' 
supplies  would  not  be  complete  sooner. 

He  also  wrote  at  length,  explaining  the 
situation.  He  said  in  his  memorandum  : 
"  As  I  am  aware  that  there  is  a  consider- 
able force  before  us  at  Birti,  as  a  prolonged 
halt  in  its  immediate  presence  would  be 
disadvantageous,  and  as  I  cannot  inflict  a 
severe  defeat  upon  it  without  my  small 
force  of  cavalry,   I   do  not  consider  it  ad- 


CONCENTRATION.  6l 

visable  to  advance  from  this  camp  until  I 
can  move  with  two  battaUons  of  infantry, 
the  Hussars  and  other  mounted  troops,  to 
the  direct  attack  of  the  enemy's  position." 
He  repeated  the  arguments  stated  above, 
and  his  offer  to  advance  on  23d  if  forty 
camels  were  sent  to  him,  and  added  :  "I 
must,  however,  point  out,  that  by  thus  ad- 
vancing without  other  land  transport,  I  shall 
be  deprived  of  the  means  of  making  any 
turning  movement  in  the  desert,  which  would 
require  a  day's  absence  of  the  infantry  from 
their  boats  ;  and  should  difficult  rapids 
render  portaging  necessary,  I  shall  be 
without  the  means  of  carrying  loads  which 
the  transport  allotted  to  me  was  specially 
intended  to  provide." 

On  the  1 7th  General  Buller  replied,  "  I 
have  not  a  camel  or  driver  to  send.  They 
are  in  the  desert." 

As  regarded  our  power  to  carry  out  the 
instructions  for  leaving  supplies  at  Abu 
Hamed  and  Berber,  I  went  very  carefully 
into  calculations  ;  and  the  Chief  of  the  Staff 


62  HAMDAB. 

was  informed  that,  in  tlie  event  of  our 
starting,  filled  up  with  all  the  rations  we 
could  take,  and  receiving  50,000  rations  at 
Korosko,  we  should,  supposing  us  to  be 
ready  to  leave  Berber  on  3d  March,  have 
at  that  date  only  twenty-eight  days'  sup- 
plies for  the  balance  of  our  force  (1800 
men),  after  leaving  the  garrisons  and  sup- 
plies ordered  at  Abu  Hamed  and  Berber. 
These  calculations  were  accepted  by  the 
Chief  of  the  Staff 

19th  Jan.  On  the  19th,  the  good  news  reached  us 
that  our  transport  under  Captain  Lea  had 
reached  Korti,  would  be  completed  to  350 
serviceable  camels,  and  would  start  on  the 

20th  Jan.  20th  ;  and  on  the  20th  we  w^ere  told  that 
supplies  to  complete  all  our  demands  would 
leave  at  once  in  the  steamer  Nassif  el 
Kheir,  with  the  exception  of  certain  quan- 
tities of  biscuit,  suofar,  cocoa  and  milk  for 
hospitals,  salt,  soap,  and  tobacco.  General 
Buller's  telegram  ended  :  "  The  consign- 
ment by  Nassif  Kheir  and  Lea  will  com- 
plete all    I    can  send   you.     You   must    be 


CONCENTRATIOxN.  63 

thankful  for  small  mercies,  and  go  as  quickly 
as  you  can." 

Colonel  Butler  arrived  at  Hamdab  on 
the  20th,  and  General  Earle  decided  to 
charge  him  with  the  duty  of  reconnoitring 
for  the  advance  of  the  force.  He  was  to 
move  with  the  cavalry  and  camel  corps 
along  the  bank,  cover  the  advance  of  and 
select  camping-grounds  for  the  troops  in 
the  boats ;  and  he  was  to  command  the 
advanced  post  whenever  headquarters  were 
not  present  there.^ 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Alleyne  with  a  party  21st  jan. 
of  voyageurs  arrived  on  the  21st.  He  was 
charged  with  the  direction  of  the  advance 
by  river,  and  had  as  his  assistants  Captain 
Orde,  Rifle  Brigade,  Captain  Lord  Avon- 
more,  Hampshire  Regiment,  and  Lieuten- 
ant Peel,  2d  Life  Guards,  all  by  this  time 
thoroughly  experienced  in  boat -work  on 
the  Nile. 


^  At  Colonel  Butler's  request,  Major  Martin,  R. A.,  and 
Lieutenant  Pirie,  2d  Life  Guards,  were  attached  to  him  as 
staff  officers. 


64  HAM  DAB. 

Captain  Courtney,  R.E.,  and  Captain 
Hon.  F.  Colborne,  Royal  Irish  Rifles,  ar- 
rived for  the  purpose  of  surveying  the  river 
as  we  advanced. 

The  headquarters  of  the  ist  battahon 
Royal  Highlanders  (Black  Watch)  arrived 
in  our  camp  on  the  13th,  and  the  battalion 
was  completed  in  the  course  of  the  next 
few  days. 
2istto23d  The  headquarters  of  the  ist  battalion 
Gordon  Highlanders  arrived  on  the  21st, 
but  the  battalion  was  still  incomplete  on 
the  24th.  One  company  had  been  left  to 
garrison  Haifa ;  and  one  company,  with  the 
Lieutenant-Colonel  second  in  command,  was 
still  far  behind. 

The  2d  battalion  Duke  of  Cornwall's 
Light  Infantry,  after  handing  over  its  sup- 
plies to  the  Staffords  at  Abu  Dom,  waited 
there  to  complete  its  own  supplies  from 
convoys  sent  up  from  Korti.  Its  first  half- 
battalion  reached  Hamdab  on  the  23d;  its 
headquarters  and  remaining  half  on  the 
24th. 


CONCENTRATIOx\.  6$ 

The  camel  battery  marched  from  Abu 
Dom  to  Hamdab  on  the  2 2d,  joining  the 
camel  corps  there. 

After  placing  great  difficulties  in  the 
way,  the  Mudir  of  Dongola  had  consented 
to  his  troops  advancing  into  the  Monassir 
country  by  the  right  bank.  I  do  not  pro- 
pose to  enter  into  any  detail  of  their  com- 
position, or  into  the  story  of  their  march. 
It  is  sufficient  here  to  state  that,  after 
having  succeeded  in  taking  over  the  Va- 
keel's fort  at  Abu  Dom  for  the  use  of 
the  two  companies  of  the  Essex  Regiment, 
which  arrived  there  as  garrison  on  the  23d, 
Colvile  succeeded  in  getting  the  Mudir's 
troops  crossed  over  to  the  right  bank 
at  Merawi  on  the  21st  and  22d.  On  the 
23d,  to  the  number  of  310,  they  made  a 
short  march  out  from  Merawi,  complete, 
Colvile  informed  us,  with  transport  (camels 
and  donkeys)  and  ammunition  (120  rounds 
per  man),  but  without  riding -camels  for 
scouting.  They  had  also  a  brass  gun, 
which  they  used  to  fire  off  at  night.      The 

E 


66  HAMDAB. 

Vakeel  accompanied  them,  saying  it  was 
necessary  he  should  do  so,  to  prevent  ill- 
treatment  of  friendly  natives.  Before  start- 
ing, he  telegraphed  to  the  Aludir  to  say 
that,  "with  God's  help,  he  hoped  to  collect 
some  taxes." 

The  situation  in  the  Soudan,  as  known 
to  us  at  this  time,  was  as  follows.  Herbert 
Stewart,  having  established  a  post  at  Gak- 
dul,  had  returned  to  Korti,  had  ao^ain  ad- 
vanced  to  and  beyond  Gakdul,  and  had 
fought  the  action  of  Abu  Klea.  Our 
knowledge  of  the  details  of  that  fight  was 
very  limited  ;  but  we  could  read  between 
the  lines  of  the  telegrams,  and  could  tell 
that  Stewart  had  met  with  a  very  deter- 
mined resistance,  and  that  somehow  the 
enemy  had  got  inside  the  square.  We 
were  told  that  Stewart  was  continuing  his 
advance  on  ]\Ietemmeh. 

A  messenger  from  Gordon,  who  had  left 
for  Khartoum  on  iSth  December,  had  re- 
turned to  Korti  on  iith  January;  but  un- 
fortunately, on  his  way  back  his  letters  had 


CONCENTRATION.  6/ 

been  taken  from  him,  and  he  had  been  so 
severely  beaten  he  could  recollect  nothing. 
Thus  our  latest  news  from  Khartoum  was 
still  the  few  words — "  All  well,  14th  Decem- 
ber," and  the  verbal  message  mentioned  in 
the  first  chapter. 

From  Berber  we  had  news  as  late  as  the 
23d  December.  All  was  then  quiet  there. 
There  were  very  few  soldiers  in  the  town  ; 
they  were  spread  about  in  the  surrounding 
villages — the  Egyptian  soldiers  working  as 
slaves  at  the  sakyehs.  The  town  was  said 
to  be  surrounded  by  an  intrenchment ;  and 
there  were  some  guns,  varying  in  the  state- 
ments from  three  to  six  in  number,  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  river  at  Robush  or  Mas- 
seed,  the  village  opposite  Berber.  Moham- 
med el  Kheir,  the  Mahdi's  Emir  of  Berber, 
had  applied  to  the  Mahdi  for  reinforcements 
and  guns,  but  had  met  with  a  refusal  to  send 
them. 

From  Abu  Hamed  we  had  news  as  late 
as  the  3d  January.  The  sakyehs  between 
Berber  and  Abu  Hamed  w^ere  then  at  work. 


62,  HAMDAB. 

Abu  Hegel,  chief  of  the  Robatab,  was  at 
his  own  village.  Sheikhs  Hassan  Wad  Hag 
Said  and  Ali  Basha  were  at  Abu  Hamed — 
having  replaced  two  sheikhs  who  had  been 
recalled,  because  they  had  not  reported  a 
reconnaissance  to  near  Abu  Hamed  made 
by  Major  Rundle  and  Sheikh  Saleh  Bey  in 
November. 

Our  latest  news  from  Birti  was  of  the 
1 8th  January;  but  we  had  spies  there  who 
were  to  inform  us  of  any  serious  change  in 
the  situation.  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr  had 
returned  from  Berber,  but  had  gone  to  Sal- 
amat  to  meet  Abdul  Majid  Wad  Abu  Lek- 
alik,  who  had  arrived  from  Berber  with 
reinforcements  at  least  a  thousand  strong, 
and  he  was  remaining  at  Salamat  to  bring 
up  more  reinforcements.  Lekalik,  as  we 
shall  hereafter  call  him,  was  on  the  i8th 
at  Birti  with  1500  dervishes  and  the  Mon- 
assir  and  Robatab,  and  had  been  placed  by 
the  Emir  of  Berber  in  command  of  all  the 
troops  there.  He  was  said  to  have  been 
anxious  to  advance  to  fight  us,  but  Sulei- 


CONCENTRATION.  69 

man  had  uro-ed  remaining  at  Birti ;  and 
now  that  Lekalik  had  agreed  to  remaining 
at  Birti,  Suleiman  wanted  to  retire  to  the 
Shukook  Pass.  Moussa  Wad  Abu  HeQ:el 
was  still  at  Birti,  and  said  to  be  full  of  fight. 
To  sum  up  the  state  of  the  information 
obtained  through  our  intelligence  depart- 
ment up  to  23d  January  :  All  was  well  at 
Khartoum  on  14th  December;  Stewart  had 
had  a  hard  fisfht,  and  was  advancinor  on 
Metemmeh  on  i8th  January;  Berber  was 
quiet,  and  not  strongly  defended,  on  23d 
December  ;  Abu  Hamed  had  a  small  garri- 
son and  no  defences  on  3d  January  ;  a  force 
about  3000  strong  was  in  front  of  us  at 
Birti — consisting  of  Berberines,  Monassir, 
and  Robatab,  about  500  of  them  having 
rifles — and  its  commander  meant  fighting. 
Buller  had  told  us  that,  from  various  ac- 
counts of  Stewart's  fight,  he  found  that 
"  these  Arabs  do  charge  home,  and  very 
quickly,"  and  had  advised  us  "  not  to  let 
them  get  a  run  at  us  unless  we  were  in 
square." 


70  HAMDAB. 

Our  orders  were  to  advance  through  the 
Monassir  country,  take  and  garrison  Abu 
Hamed,  receive  a  convoy  from  Korosko, 
and  advance  on  Berber.  When  near  Ber- 
ber— within  twenty  miles — we  were  to  fire 
a  gun  and  two  rockets  every  night  at  twelve. 
The  desert  column  was  to  have  steamers 
and  men  six  or  eight  miles  above  Berber, 
and  would  answer  our  signal,  and  the  steam- 
ers would  then  reconnoitre  and  assist  our 
attack.  We  knew  that  Rundle  had  700 
camels  ready  to  march  from  Korosko,  and 
we  had  arranored  signals  to  let  him  know 
of  our  proximity  to  Abu  Hamed  ;  and  we 
telegraphed  to  Cairo  asking  that  our  letters 
and  papers  by  the  mail  leaving  Cairo  2  2d 
should  be  sent  to  Korosko  to  await  the 
departure  of  this  convoy.  We  also  ar- 
ranged for  supplies  of  such  vitally  neces- 
sary material  as  paint  for  the  boats  and 
shoes  for  the  horses  being  sent  by  the  same 
route. 
22djan.  On  the  22d  Colonel  Butler  reconnoitred 

to    Ooli   island,   and   selected    a    site   for   a 


CONCENTRATION.  7 1 

camp.  He  reported  the  river  free  from 
obstacles  to  that  point.  The  natives  had 
fled  between  Kiilgeili  and  Ooh,  but  at  the 
latter  place  some  were  remaining. 

On  the  23d  our  transport,  about  330  23d jan. 
camels,  under  Captain  Lea,  arrived  at 
Hamdab.  Arrangements  were  at  once 
made  for  handincj  over  reorimental  trans- 
port  to  the  Hussars,  the  necessary  trans- 
port to  headquarters,  and  for  mounting 
staff  officers,  who  had  been  sent  up  to  the 
column  without  any  sort  of  mount ;  and 
then  orders  for  the  advance  on  the  follow- 
ing day  were  issued. 

Colonel  Hammill,  of  the  Gordon  Hio-h- 
landers,  was  left  in  command  at  Hamdab, 
with  orders  to  send  on  the  Cornwalls  by 
half-battalions  on  25th  and  26th,  with  two 
sections  of  the  field-hospital.  On  the  26th 
he  was  to  send  on  the  Egyptian  battery 
and  the  transport  company  under  escort  of 
a  portion  of  the  camel  corps,  left  behind 
tor  this  purpose,  the  whole  under  command 
of  Major  Wodehouse,  R.A,      He  was  him- 


72  HAM  DAB. 

self  to  follow  with  his  own  battalion  and 
two  sections  of  field  -  hospital,  as  soon  as 
his  battalion  was  concentrated,  having 
previously  sent  down  to  Abu  Dom  any 
superfluous  stores  remaining  at  Hamdab, 
and  disestablished  the  telegraph. 

General  Duller,  in  asking  me  to  send  him 
a  state  of  our  force  before  actually  starting, 
had  said  to  me  :  "  I  know  you  have  been 
handicapped ;  but  now  the  force  is  com- 
pleted, I  mention  that  I  know  Lord  Wolse- 
ley  attaches  great  importance  to  your  mak- 
ing as  rapid  an  advance  as  possible  ;  "  and 
had  asked  me  for  the  probable  date  of 
our  arrival  at  Abu  Hamed,  I  replied  : 
"We  start  to-morrow.  It  is  impossible  to 
predict  the  date  of  reaching  Abu  Hamed. 
It  must  depend  on  nature  of  river  and 
opposition  of  enemy,  both  unknown  quan- 
tities." 


71 


CHAPTER  V. 

HAMDAB  TO  KAB  EL  ABD TOUCH  OF 

THE  ENEMY. 

Before  General  Earle  left  Korti,  Lord 
Wolseley  gave  him  some  dates  of  probable 
moves,  which  he  entered  in  his  pocket- 
book.  The  first  of  these  was,  "  Leave 
Hamdab,  24th  January."  We  were  punc- 
tual to  our  time.  On  the  morning  of  the  24th  Jan. 
24th  the  advance  commenced  at  7  a.m. 
The  Hussars  and  half  the  camel  corps 
marched  at  seven,  their  baofeaofe  and  head- 
quarter  baggage  following  at  10  o'clock 
under  an  escort  of  mounted  troops.  Two 
companies  of  the  Staffordshire,  with  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Alleyne  and  the  other  boat  officers, 
moved  off  by  river  at  seven,  followed   by 


74  HAMDAB    TO    KAB    EL    ABD. 

the  boats  of  the  Royal  Engineers,  and  then 
the  remainder  of  the  battahon.  The  Black 
Watch  followed  at  eight ;  the  boat-repair- 
ing party,  the  senior  medical  officer,  half  the 
field- hospital,  two  headquarter  boats,  and 
three  guard  boats  manned  by  Gordon 
Highlanders,  moving  between  the  half- 
battalions  of  the  Black  Watch.  The  masts 
of  all  whalers  were  lowered  before  starting, 
as  we  were  about  to  commence  a  long  jour- 
ney against  the  prevailing  north  wind. 

Headquarters    marched    about     ii     a.m. 
Before   starting  we   telegraphed   to    Korti 
"Just   off;    all   going   as   well   as   possible 
troops   in  high  spirits,  longing  for  a  fight 
no  sick."     As  we  rode  alone  the  bank  we 
saw  many  boats  in  difficulties.      The  chan- 
nel was  full  of  sunken  rocks  ;  and  nine  boats 
had  to  be  unloaded,  hauled  up,  and  repaired 
either    by    their    own    crews    or    the    boat- 
repairing    party.       The   last  boats   did  not 
arrive    opposite    Ooli    island,    about    eight 
miles  from  Hamdab,  till  7  p.m.;  but  by  half- 
past     7    we    were    all     in     bivouac.       The 


TOUCH    OF    THE    ENEMY.  75 

anchorage  on  the  left  bank  being  scanty,  the 
Black  Watch  bivouacked  on  the  riofht  bank 
opposite.  The  position  for  the  .bivouac  of 
the  Staffords  and  mounted  troops  was  on 
a  high  Nile  island — that  is  to  say,  on  land 
which,  though  now  connected  with  the  main- 
land, would  at  high  Nile  be  entirely  separated 
from  it  by  a  wide  deep  channel,  now  only 
partially  full  and  crossed  by  a  causeway. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  leading  boats,  the 
mounted  troops  reconnoitred  along  the  left 
bank,  a  short  distance  beyond  Kabour,  and 
found  the  country  deserted.  Two  of  the 
boat  officers  reconnoitred  by  river.  The 
result  of  the  combined  reports,  and  of  na- 
tive information,  was  that  the  channel  along 
the  left  bank  was  impracticable  for  boats ; 
and  it  was  decided  that  the  channel  on  the 
right  bank,  on  the  far  side  of  Great  Ooli 
island,  must  be  used.  It  was  found  that 
it  could  be  reached  from  the  left  bank 
channel  by  a  narrow  d}ke  between  Great 
Ooli  island  and  another  small  island  just 
opposite  the  camp  of  the  Staffords. 


76  HAMDAB    TO    KAB    EL   ABD. 

And   now   commenced    our   first   military 
difficulty,    necessitating    the    first    of   those 
moves  in  the  game  of  chess  which  we  sub- 
sequently had  to  play.     The  infantry  was 
about   to  be  effectually  separated  from  the 
mounted  troops.     Any  boats  sent  into  the 
rapids  in  the  right-bank  channel  would  be 
as   completely  separated    from    us    for    the 
time  being  as  if  they  were  a  hundred  miles 
away.      A  force  of  3000  of  the  enemy  was 
known  to  be  within  eighteen  miles  of  us  ; 
and  in  the  rocky  and  difficult  country  into 
which   we    had    now   entered,    every   move 
must  be  made  with  caution.      If  there  was 
one  thing  more  important  than  another,  it 
was    that   we    should    avoid    the    smallest 
chance   of  being  surprised.      It   would   not 
do  to  send  a  small  force  of  60  Hussars  and 
40   Egyptian   Camel   Corps   to   bivouac   by 
themselves    in    advance    on    the   left   bank. 
Yet  the  head  of  the  rapid   through  which 
the  troops  were  about  to  pass  must  be  held, 
and  cavalry  must  scout  well   to   its    front. 
It  was  therefore   decided   to  march  half  a 


TOUCH    OF    THE    ENEMY.  ']J 

battalion  of  the  Black  Watch  to  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Kabour  to  form  a  post  there, 
with  the  cavalry  and  camel  corps  at  a 
point  where  the  Staffords,  who  were  to  be 
sent  into  the  right  -  bank  channel,  would 
again  emerge  into  the  main  stream  at  the 
head  of  Suffi  island. 

About  7  P.M.  we  got  into  heliographic 
communication  with  Colvile,  who  had,  with 
the  Mudir's  troops,  reached  Ummerikh,  on 
the  right  bank  opposite  our  bivouac.  We 
sent  over  a  signaller  to  relieve  one  of  his 
who  had  been  touched  by  the  sun,  and  at  the 
same  time  ordered  him  to  advance  the  fol- 
lowing day  on  the  right  bank  to  the  head  of 
the  rapid  (known  as  Edermih  cataract)  into 
which  we  were  about  to  launch  the  Staffords. 

Information  as  to  the  channel  between 
Hamdab  and  our  present  bivouac  was  sent 
back  to  Hamdab,  for  the  use  of  the  troops 
who  were  to  follow,  and  the  messenger  took 
back  our  report  of  progress  for  the  Chief  of 
the  Staff. 

On    the    morning    of   the    25th,    Colonel 


j8  HAMDAB    TO    KAB    EL    ABD. 

25th  Jan.  Butler  moved  off  with  the  mounted  troops, 
and  selected  a  strong  position  for  the  ad- 
vanced post  on  a  small  rocky  high  Nile  island, 
just  above  the  head  of  Sufh  island  ;  and 
the  half-battalion  Black  Watch  arrived  there 
at  10  o'clock.  The  Staffords  had  moved 
into  the  dike  leading  to  the  right-bank  chan- 
nel at  6.45  A.M.,  and  soon  after  8  o'clock 
their  last  boat  was  lost  to  view.  Half  the 
battalion  Black  Watch  remained  at  Ooli 
bivouac,  where,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  they 
were  joined  by  the  leading  half-battalion  of 
the  Duke  of  Cornwall's  Light  Infantry. 

General  Earle  with  his  staff  rode  to  the 
advanced  post,  arriving  there  about  1 1  a.m. 
Communication  by  heliograph  was  at  once 
established  with  the  Ooli  bivouac,  and  about 
the  same  time  the  Mudir's  troops  arrived  at 
Mushra  el  Abiad  on  the  opposite  bank,  and 
Colvile  established  his  heliograph  there. 

We  then  rode  up  the  river  as  far  as  Ka- 
benat,  about  three  miles  beyond  Kabour. 
Here  we  found  a  strong  fort,  with  walls 
eleht   to  twelve    feet   thick    built    of   loose 


TOUCH    OF    THE    ENEMY.  79 

Stones,  and  capable  of  holding  a  garrison 
of  500  men,  on  the  top  of  a  high  detached 
hill,  completely  commanding  the  river  and 
bank ;  and  a  similar  fort  opposite  on  the 
right  bank,  with  swift  and  difficult  water 
flowing  between.  Who  built  these  forts  ? 
From  what  period  do  they  date  ?  There  is 
a  vague  tradition  among  the  Soudanese  that 
they  were  built  by  some  Christian  power 
some  centuries  ago,  and  I  am  satisfied  these 
forts  are  of  comparatively  modern  date. 
Ascending  to  the  fort,  we  obtained  an  ex- 
tended view,  and  were  shortly  joined  by 
Colonel  Butler,  who  told  us  he  had  recon- 
noitred to  the  cataract  of  Kab  el  Abd,  five 
miles  further  on.  He  reported  the  country 
clear  and  fairly  open,  and  the  water  fairly 
clear  up  to  Kab  el  Abd,  the  cataract  there 
being  like  the  big  gate  of  Semneh.  All  the 
country  beyond  Ooli  camp  was  deserted. 

We  returned  to  Kabour  post,  and  about 
4  P.M.  got  into  communication  by  heliograph 
with  Colonel  Alleyne  on  Suffi  island. 
He  told  us  three  complete  companies  were 


8o  HAMDAB    TO    KAB    EL   ABD. 

I 

through  the  cataract ;  so  he  was  ordered  to 
send  on  two  companies  to  reheve  the  half-  | 

battahon  Black  Watch,  which  Colonel   But-         i 
ler  was   ordered   to   send  back  to  Ooli  as  ; 

soon  as  relieved.     Colvile  was  directed  to  I 

keep  the  Mudir's  troops  halted  till  further  i 
orders.  Instructions  were  sent  back  to  i 
Hamdab  to  detain  the  artillery  and  trans-  | 
port  there  till  further  orders,  and  to  send  ' 
two  officers  of  the  Gordon  Highlanders  to  1 
view  the  river  as  far  as  Kabenat,  in  order 
to  expedite  the  advance  of  the  battalion  j 
later  on.  General  Earle  and  staff  then  re- 
turned to  the  Ooli  bivouac. 

Two  companies  of  the  Staffords  reached 
the    Kabour   advanced    post   shortly   after 
dark  ;  but  as  the  pickets  of  the  Black  Watch 
were  posted,  Colonel  Butler  did  not  relieve         I 
them,  and  the  half-battalion  did  not  return         > 
to  Ooli  till  the  following  morning.  ! 

26th  Jan.  At  the  usual  hour  on  the  26th  (6.45  a.m.), 
the  half-battalion  Black  Watch  at  Ooli,  with 
one  boat  of  repairing  party,  and  field-hos- 
pital, moved  off  into  the  Edermih  cataract, 


TOUCH    OF   THE    ENEMY.  8l 

piloted  by  a  boat  officer  sent  back  for  the 
purpose,  and  followed  by  the  second  half- 
battalion,  as  soon  as  it  arrived  from  Kabour. 
The  second  half-battalion  of  the  Cornwalls 
arrived  at  Ooli. 

General  Earle  and  his  staff  ao^ain  rode  to 
Kabour.  The  Staffords  completed  the  pas- 
sage of  the  cataract,  and  concentrated  at 
the  advanced  post.  In  the  afternoon  we 
embarked  in  a  whaler  and  crossed  to  the 
Mudir's  camp,  where  General  Earle  in- 
spected the  Mudir's  troops  under  Achmet 
Effendi.  The  Vakeel  was  living  in  a  tent, 
with  carpets  and  cushions — a  great  contrast 
to  our  primitive  open-air  bivouac.  Coffee 
was  served,  the  situation  was  discussed, 
and  we  then  dropped  down  in  our  boat  to 
the  head  of  Suffi  island,  where  we  met 
Colonel  Alleyne,  and  walked  with  him  to 
the  cataract.  The  leadinof  wino;  of  the 
Black  Watch  was  passing  through,  and  the 
rear  wing  was  closing  up  at  the  foot  of  the 
rapid.  The  cataract  (Edermih)  was  a  very 
troublesome   one.      In   the   first   place,   two 

F 


82  HAMDAB    TO    KAB    EL    ABD. 

small  shoots  or  rapids  had  to  be  tracked  up  ; 
then  came  three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  swift 
broken  rapids,  with  four  shoots  or  rushes  of 
water,  the  last  of  which  was  like  the  great 
gate  of  Semneh.  Arms,  ammunition,  and 
accoutrements  had  to  be  portaged  for  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile,  and  the  crews  of  three 
boats  had  to  be  employed  to  haul  one  boat 
through.  Alleyne  thought  it  was  as  bad 
water  as  any  on  the  river. 

We  returned  to  Kabour,  and  thence  to 
Ooli,  leaving  orders  with  Colonel  Butler  to 
advance  with  the  Staffords  and  as  many 
of  the  Black  Watch  as  possible  to  Kab  el 
Abd  next  day.  Only  two  companies  of  the 
Black  Watch  reached  Kabour  that  night. 

Orders  were  sent  to  Colonel  Hammill  at 
Hamdab  for  the  artillery  and  transport  to 
march  with  their  escort  on  the  28th.  Col- 
vile  was  instructed  to  move  in  the  morning 
with  the  Mudir's  troops,  and  take  up  a  posi- 
tion opposite  Kab  el  Abd.  Meanwhile 
he  was  to  urge  the  X'^akeel  to  keep  his 
troops  in  hand,  as  they  had  been  setting  fire 


TOUCH    OF    THE    ENEMY.  83 

to  huts,  and  we  were  in  a  theoretically 
friendly  country.  The  Cornwalls  were 
ordered  to  advance  into  the  Edermih  cata- 
ract in  the  morning. 

In  the  night  one  of  our  spies  returned 
from  Birti.  He  brought  word  that  on 
Saturday  the  24th  there  were  at  Birti  some 
2500  men,  under  five  chiefs,  of  whom  the 
most  prominent  were  Lekalik,  Suleiman 
Wad  Gamr,  and  Moussa  Wad  Abu  Hegel. 
He  told  us  it  was  their  intention  to  attack 
us  when  our  boats  were  separated  in  the 
cataract  of  Kab  el  Abd,  or  beyond  it,  and 
that  they  meant  to  attack  in  the  early  morn- 
ing, when  it  was  cold. 

Colonel  Butler  was  then  further  instructed 
to  push  on  to  the  foot  of  Kab  el  Abd,  and 
concentrate  the  two  leading:  battalions  there. 
He  was  to  reconnoitre  with  the  mounted 
troops  till  he  should  get  touch  of  the  enemy, 
endeavourino;  to  ascertain  his  strencrth  and 
position,  and  falling  back  upon  the  infantr)- ; 
and  Colvile  was  directed  to  advance  his 
troops  only  as  far  as  Shebabit,  and  to  push 


84  HAMDAB    TO    KAB    EL    ABD. 

a  reconnaissance  on  the  right  bank  as  near- 
ly opposite  to  Birti  as  he  could  reach,  en- 
deavouring to  ascertain  the  enemy's  strength 
and  position  there. 
27th Jan.  On  the  27th  the  Cornwalls  advanced  into 
the  Edermih  cataract,  and  the  Staffords  and 
Black  Watch  concentrated  about  a  mile 
short  of  Kab  el  Abd  cataract,  where  head- 
quarters joined  them.  A  strong  position 
was  taken  up  here,  and  a  zareeba  made. 
It  was  ascertained  that  the  great  gate  of 
the  cataract  could  be  avoided  by  tracking 
up  the  opposite  bank. 

Meanwhile  the  mounted  troops  advanced, 
and  some  two  and  a  half  miles  beyond  the 
cataract  sighted  about  1 20  of  the  enemy  on 
foot,  with  seven  or  eight  horsemen,  near  the 
tomb  of  a  sheikh  at  Warag.  Shots  were 
exchanged  at  about  a  thousand  yards,  and 
the  enemy  retiring,  a  further  advance  was 
made.  Colonel  Butler  reported  on  return 
to  camp  that  about  two  miles  above  the 
great  gate  of  Kab  el  Abd  there  commenced 
two  miles  of  bad  rapid  water. 


TOUCH    OF    THE    ENEMY.  85 

The  news  of  the  river  was  bad.  We 
seemed  to  have  entered  upon  a  succession 
of  troublesome  rapids.  The  land,  too,  was 
as  bad  as  it  could  well  be — nothing  but 
black  rocks  and  sand  everywhere  ;  scarcely 
a  scrap  of  cultivation  visible.  But  the 
news  that  the  cavalry  had  really  exchanged 
shots  wnth  the  enemy  cheered  us,  and  there 
were  tangible  results  in  the  shape  of  four 
camels,  six  oxen,  and  sixty  sheep,  captured 
by  Marriott's  camel  corps.  General  Earle, 
telegraphing  that  night,  reported,  "  Troops 
in  excellent  spirits,  and  only  seven  slight 
cases  of  sickness  in  whole  force." 

Meanwhile  Colvile  had  not  let  the  grass 
grow  under  his  feet.  No  sooner  had  he 
reached  Shebabit  than,  mounting  ten  of  the 
Mudir's  men  on  ten  of  his  best  bag^QraCTe- 
camels,  he  pushed  on  with  them  fourteen 
miles  to  Hush  el  Jeruf,  the  village  right 
opposite  Birti,  whence  he  obtained  a  good 
view  of  the  enemy's  camp.  He  described 
it  to  us  as  situated  on  a  gentle  slope,  run- 
ning down  from  a  low  range  of  hills  to  the 


86  HAMDAB    TO    KAB    EL   ABD. 

river,  the  ground  being  broken  and  rocky, 
and  the  camp  commanded  on  all  sides. 
Owing  to  the  nature  of  the  ground  it  was 
difficult  to  see  distinctly,  but  his  impression 
was  that  there  were  not  more  than  looo 
of  the  enemy.  Three  tents  were  visible. 
About  300  of  the  enemy  had  collected  on 
a  rise  in  the  ground,  and  watched  his  party. 

On  his  return  over  a  succession  of  what 
at  high  Nile  would  be  islands,  but  which 
had  now  a  dry  channel  between  them  and 
the  mainland,  he  met  with  no  opposition, 
but  was  followed  by  a  small  body  of  horse 
and  foot.  He  learned  that  several  deser- 
tions had  taken  place  from  among  the 
enemy. 

He  described  the  population  on  the  right 
bank  as  remaining  at  work  on  its  sakyehs, 
and  presenting,  therefore,  a  very  different 
appearance  to  that  of  the  barren  deserted 
waste  through  which  we  were  passing  on 
the  left  bank. 

That  evening  we  received  through  Korti 
a  lone  telegram   from    Colonel    Rundle   at 


TOUCH    OF    THE    ENEMY.  87 

Korosko,  giving  details  of  the  tribes  who, 
according  to  the  report  of  his  sheikhs,  were 
gathered  to  oppose  us  at  Birti.  It  wound 
up  thus  :  "  I  can  get  none  of  the  sheikhs 
to  go  below  10,000  as  the  force  in  front  of 
General  Earle.  They  have  no  doubt  now 
of  their  intention  to  fight." 

Orders  were  issued  for  the  advance  to 
commence  at  the  usual  hour  in  the  morn- 
ing ;  and  Colvile  was  directed  to  cover  the 
advance  of  the  boats  on  the  right  bank,  and 
endeavour  to  communicate  with  our  sio-- 
nailers  on   Mishami  ridore. 


88 


CHAPTER  VI. 

KAB  EL  ABD  TO  GAMRA RETREAT  OF  THE 

ENEMY. 

2Sthjan.  Early  on  the  28th  the  infantry  advanced 
in  their  boats.  The  Staffords  and  Black 
Watch  passed  through  the  Kab  el  Abd 
cataract,  with  damage  to  two  boats  of  the 
Black  Watch,  and  reached  a  point  in  the 
rapids  about  two  miles  distant  from  their 
camp  of  the  previous  night,  immediately 
opposite  the  foot  of  Kandi  island.  The 
anchorage  on  the  left  bank  was  apparently 
insufficient  for  two  battalions,  and  the  Black 
Watch  bivouacked  on  Kandi  island — the 
Staffords  occupying  a  semicircular  position, 
which  was  covered  by  a  zareeba,  with  out- 
posts and  sentries  placed  on  a  bastion-like 
hill   in   front   of  the  camp.      It  was  a  most 


RETREAT    OF    THE    ENEMY.  89 

unsatisfactory  military  position  ;  but  we 
were  on  this  occasion,  as  on  otliers,  com- 
pelled to  bivouac  on  sites  badly  suited  for 
defence,  as  we  were  restricted  in  the  choice 
of  sites  by  the  limit  of  distance  the  boats 
could  travel,  and  the  necessity  for  bivouack- 
ing where  there  was  anchorage.  This  was 
a  wind-swept,  sun-baked,  dusty  spot,  with- 
out shade  by  day  or  shelter  by  night,  at  the 
extremity  of  a  ridge  of  forbidding  black 
rocks  known  as  Mishami  ridee. 

Meanwhile  the  Cornwalls  completed  the 
passage  of  the  Edermih  cataract,  begun  on 
the  previous  day,  and  reached  the  foot 
of  Kab  el  Abd,  where  we  had  bivouacked 
the  previous  night. 

Our  mounted  troops  reconnoitred  as  far 
as  Rahami  cataract,  seven  or  eight  miles  to 
the  front ;  and  Colonel  Butler  reported  no 
signs  of  the  enemy.  It  would,  he  con- 
sidered, be  possible  to  push  a  battalion 
through  the  rapids  immediately  in  front  of 
us  by  nightfall  on  the  29th,  but  it  would  be 
necessary  to  portage  arms  and  ammunition. 


90  KAB    EL   ABD    TO    GAMRA. 

Colvile  had  vainly  tried  to  find  a  position 
on  the  right  bank  opposite  us ;  but  the 
rocky  nature  of  the  ground,  and  the  numer- 
ous islands  intervening-  between  the  right 
and  left  bank,  made  it  impossible.  He, 
however,  found  a  safe  camping-ground  on 
Umkumtata  island  nearly  opposite  Gamra, 
about  three  miles  above  our  camp  at  Mish- 
ami  ridge,  all  the  channels  between  the 
islands  themselves,  and  between  the  islands 
and  the  right  bank,  being  sufficiently  dry 
to  admit  of  their  being  crossed  by  the 
Mudir's  troops. 

Our  artillery  and  transport,  with  an 
escort  of  half  Major  Marriott's  Egyptian 
Camel  Corps,  marched  from  Hamdab,  and 
took  up  a  position,  surrounded  by  a  zareeba, 
on  some  open  ground  about  a  mile  in  our 
rear,  where  there  was  a  certain  amount  of 
forage  and  a  good  watering-place  for  the 
camels. 
29tiijan.  At  6.45  on  the  29th,  six  companies  of  the 
Black  Watch  marched  to  Warag,  and  took 
up  a  position  on  fairly  open  ground  at  the 


RETREAT    OF    THE    ENEMY.  91 

head  of  the  rapid  ;  while  the  mounted  troops 
pushed  on,  with  orders  from  General  Earle 
that  they  were  to  push  home  to  Birti  and 
bring  back  information  as  to  the  enemy's 
strength.  The  Cornwalls  passed  through 
the  Kab  el  Abd  cataract,  and  arrived  at 
Mishami  ridge,  when  we  at  once  proceeded 
to  form  a  zareeba  on  a  horse-shoe-topped 
hill,  which  we  held  at  night  with  the  Corn- 
walls  and  half  the  Black  Watch. 

The  Staffords  entered  the  Umhaboah 
rapid  at  the  same  early  hour.  It  proved  to 
be  the  worst  piece  of  water  yet  encountered, 
and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  and  labour 
that  four  companies  succeeded  in  working 
their  way  to  Warag  by  sunset.  Meanwhile 
the  Black  Watch  had  been  forming  a  zareeba; 
and  as  soon  as  the  half- battalion  of  the 
Staffords  reached  it,  two  companies  of  the 
Black  Watch  marched  back  to  Mishami 
ridge,  leaving  half  a  battalion  at  Warag 
with  the  Staffords.  The  other  wiuQ-  of  the 
Staffords  bivouacked  together  in  a  zareeba 
about  half-way  through  the  rapid. 


92  KAB   EL   ADD    TO    GAMRA. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning  a  report 
was  received  from  Colonel  Colvile  that  a 
spy  had  returned  from  Birti  with  news  that 
reinforcements  from  Berber,  which  would 
bring  the  Birti  force  up  to  5000  men,  had 
left  Salamat  on  the  27th,  and  were  to 
reach  Birti  on  the  29th.  Part  of  this  force 
was  said  to  be  advancing  on  the  right  bank; 
and  as  General  Earle  did  not  wish  Colonel 
Colvile  and  the  Mudir's  troops  to  run  any 
risk  of  being  attacked  by  superior  force  in 
an  isolated  position,  he  directed  Colvile 
to  fall  back  to  the  end  of  Kandi  island, 
opposite  Mishami  ridge.  Colvile  came 
himself  with  a  few  men,  and  was  brought 
over  to  our  camp  in  a  boat ;  but  the  Vakeel 
protested  against  falling  back,  as  it  would 
tire  his  men,  and  he  could  not  find  anywhere 
on  the  islands  so  good  and  open  a  position 
as  the  one  he  was  in.  As  the  Mudir's  troops 
seemed  to  be  free  from  anxiety  as  to  their 
position.  General  Earle  did  not  press  his 
order  for  their  return. 

Orders   were   sent  back   to   Hamdab  di- 


RETREAT    OF   THE    ENEMY.  93 

rectinsf  the  Gordon  Highlanders  to  move 
without  fail  on  the  30th  ;  and  a  boat  officer 
who  had  been  twice  through  Edermih 
cataract  and  once  through  Kab  el  Abd, 
was  sent  to  pilot  them  from  Ooli. 

On  Colonel  Butler's  return  at  night,  we 
learnt  the  result  of  his  reconnaissance.  He 
had  pushed  to  within  a  mile  of  Birti,  and 
had  found  the  hills  approaching  close  to  the 
river,  leaving  only  a  narrow  space  for  the 
road,  which  was  rough,  stony,  and  broken. 
He  had  come  in  sight  of  a  body  of  the 
enemy  about  700  to  800  yards  distant,  ap- 
parently advancing,  and  had  retired  from 
the  broken  ground,  and  taken  up  a  po- 
sition. Slade  had  ascended  a  hill  from 
which  he  had  looked  down  on  the  enemy's 
camp,  and  had  seen  a  body  of  them,  whose 
number  he  estimated  at  2000,  parading  with 
the  apparent  object  of  advancing.  Marriott 
on  the  rio^ht  had  fallen  in  with  a  scoutino-- 
party  of  the  enemy,  and  had  exchanged 
shots,  having  one  camel  killed.  He  had 
worked   down   a   wadv   to   the    riq-ht,    from 


94  KAB    EL   ABD    TO    GAMRA. 

which    he    had    seen    three    camps    of    the 
enemy. 

News  reached  us  to-day  that  Herbert 
Stewart  had  advanced  on  the  iSth,  and  had 
had  a  second  fight  on  the  19th,  We  were 
told  that  the  enemy  did  not  charge  home  so 
well  as  on  the  17th,  and  that  our  men's 
steady  volleys  had  been  too  much  for  them; 
but  tliat  they  shot  well  with  their  Reming- 
tons. Our  troops,  we  learnt,  were  strongly- 
intrenched  at  Goubat,  two  miles  south  of 
Metemmeh,  which  was  still  held  by  the 
enemy.  Four  of  Gordon's  steamers  were 
co-operating  with  us,  of  which  two  had 
started  on  the  24th  for  Khartoum  with 
Sir  C.  Wilson  and  a  small  detachment  of 
the  Sussex  Regiment.  Herbert  Stewart, 
we  were  told,  was  severely  wounded,  but 
was  progressing  satisfactorily,  and  great 
hopes  were  entertained  of  his  recovery. 
Talbot  with  a  large  convoy  had  reached 
Gakdul  from  Goubat.  Half  the  Royal  Irish 
had  left  Korti  on  the  28th  ;  the  remainder 
and  West    Kent  were   to  follow.      Wilson 


RETREAT    OF    THE    ENEMY.  95 

reported  large  reinforcements  marching  from 
Berber  to  Metemmeh.  General  Duller  was 
going  to  take  command,  and  told  us  that 
"  if  Khartoum  is  sufficiently  provisioned, 
we  don't  mean  to  do  anything  until  you 
join  us." 

Our  situation  was  aggravating.  The 
desert  column  already  on  the  Nile  above 
Metemmeh,  and  proposing  to  wait  there  till 
we  could  join  them  ;  the  enemy  in  force  in 
our  front  ten  miles  away ;  and  our  troops 
scattered  along  these  terrible  rapids,  which 
seemed  to  grow  more  and  more  difficult 
with  each  mile  of  our  advance.  There  was 
nothing  for  it  but  to  push  on,  and  concen- 
trate a  sufficient  force  within  strikino-  dis- 
tance  of  the  enemy,  who  was  apparently 
resolved  to  hold  his  ground  at    Birti. 

I  for  one  slept  lightly  that  night.  It  was 
bitterly  cold,  and  there  was  no  escaping  the 
wind.  A  full  moon,  which  we  hoped  was 
to  light  us  to  victory  at  Birti,  was  shining. 
More  than  once  I  walked  round  the  zareeba, 
where  our   sentries  were   standing   motion- 


96  KAB   EL   ABD    TO    GAMRA. 

less,  looking  out  over  the  rocks  and  ravines 
around.  At  last  I  was  sleeping  soundly, 
when  I  was  awakened  by  the  field-officer  of 
the  Black  Watch  on  duty,  who  told  me  that 
a  native  dressed  in  white  had  crept  up, 
leading  a  horse,  to  within  a  few  yards  of 
the  zareeba,  had  looked  down  upon  our 
cavalry  below,  and  had  then  made  off  again. 
Did  it  portend  an  early  attack  ?  If  so,  we 
were  ready  at  any  moment.  The  first  note 
of  alarm  by  one  of  our  sentries  would  have 
brought  all  our  men,  armed  and  accoutred, 
to  their  feet,  and  have  lined  the  zareeba 
with  a  circle  of  bayonets,  and  of  rifles  ready 
to  sweep  the  surrounding  space  with  their 
fire.  Should  we  hear  firing  from  either  of 
our  smaller  advanced  posts,  and  have  to 
march  to  their  assistance  ;  or  was  it  only 
a  bold  spy,  come  to  learn  our  strength  and 
dispositions  for  defence  ? 

Nothing    came    to    disturb    us    further. 

30th Jan.     RdveilU  sounded   at   five  ;    and   the   troops 

stood  to  their  arms  as  usual.      Our  cavalry 

patrols    went    out,    and    to    them    at    once 


RETREAT    OF   THE    ENEMY.  97 

surrendered  himself  the  gentleman  who  had 
visited  us  the  night  before.  His  story  was 
as  follows  :  He  had  been  an  Egyptian 
soldier,  one  of  the  garrison  of  Berber,  when 
that  place  was  taken  by  the  Mahdl ;  he  had 
been  made  to  join  the  Mahdi's  troops  ;  he 
had  been  one  of  the  force  which  marched 
from  Berber  to  Birti  under  Lekalik,  and 
had  been  made  to  take  command  of  a  body 
of  riflemen  there,  commanding  outposts  at 
night,  and  visiting  the  troops  by  day.  He 
said  that  on  the  previous  night  he  had 
deserted,  bringing  with  him  a  horse,  the 
property  of  Moussa  Wad  Abu  Hegel,  and 
his  rifle  and  ammunition.  He  told  us 
that  the  force  at  Birti  consisted  of  5000 
Monassir,  4000  Robatab,  and  6000  Bisharin 
and  Berberines ;  but  that  there  were  only 
300  rifles,  and  thirty  rounds  of  ammuni- 
tion per  rifle.  He  said  that  the  gun  from 
Stewart's  steamer  was  there,  but  spiked 
and  without  ammunition.  Lekalik  had  first 
seen  our  scouts  on  the  25th;  he  had  then 
intended  occupying  Mishami  ridge,  but 
G 


98  KAB    EL    ABD   TO    GAMRA. 

found  it  held  by  us  on  the  28th.  The 
enemy  had  made  a  stone  parapet,  facing 
the  road  and  river  at  Birti,  but  no  other 
defences  ;  and  they  intended  standing 
there,  though  the  Robatab  were  deserting. 
Lekahk  and  Moussa  had  followed  our 
retiring  scouts  yesterday  on  horseback  ;  and 
drums  were  beating  all  evening.  Our 
friend  told  us  that  Lekalik  had  received  a 
letter  from  Berber  telling  him  there  had 
been  a  o-reat  fioht  at  Metemmeh. 

There  was  nothing  in  this  information  to 
alter  the  dispositions  made  for  the  day. 
Half  a  battalion  of  the  Cornwalls  marched 
to  Warag,  and  relieved  the  wing  of  the 
Black  Watch  there.  The  Staffords  con- 
tinued their  advance  throuoh  the  cataract, 
and  concentrated  at  Warag,  where  also  half 
a  battalion  of  the  Black  Watch  arrived  in 
its  boats.  The  other  wing  of  the  Black 
Watch,  after  its  return  to  Mishami,  entered 
the  Umhaboah  cataract,  but  did  not  get 
through,  bivouackino^  where  half  the  Staf- 
fords    had    bivouacked    on     the     previous 


RETREAT    OF    THE    ENEMY.  99 

night.  The  Cornwalls  remained  at  Mish- 
ami  ridge.  Headquarters  and  the  mounted 
troops  moved  to  Warag.  Cavalry  had  a 
quiet  day,  vedettes  out,  and  nothing  of 
importance  occurred. 

Above  Warag  there  still  lay  two  miles  of 
bad  rapid  water  to  Gamra,  where  there  was 
excellent  anchorage  and  camping-ground. 
Gamra  was  about  seven  miles  from  Birti, 
and  General  Earle  decided  to  concentrate 
three  battalions,  the  mounted  troops,  and 
artillery  there  ;  and  to  make  it  the  point 
from  which  he  would  march  to  attack  the 
enemy,  leaving  his  boats  and  transport 
covered  by  a  strong  detachment  in  a  good 
zareeba,  with  clear  field  of  fire.  Accordingly 
on  the  31st  he  marched  the  Staffords  by  31st  Jan. 
land  to  Gamra,  covered  by  the  mounted 
troops.  On  arrival  they  prepared  the 
ground,  and  made  a  zareeba  for  the  Black 
Watch,  who  advanced  in  boats,  being  so 
much  retarded  by  the  difficult  water  that 
they  did  not  succeed  in  concentrating  at 
Gamra    till     7     p.m.,    when     the     Staffords 


100  KAB    EL    ABD    TO    GAMRA. 

marched  back  to  Warag.  The  Cornwalls, 
in  the  meantime,  entered  the  Umhaboah 
cataract ;  six  companies  reached  Warag,  and 
two  bivouacked  in  rear.  Their  reserve  am- 
munition was  carried  on  camels  to  Gamra. 

Colonel  Butler's  report  of  the  direct  road 
along  the  river  to  the  enemy's  camp  did 
not  seem  to  favour  a  direct  attack.  We 
should  apparently  have  to  force  our  way 
throuorh  a  crorge  between  rocks  and  river, 
commanded  by  hills  on  our  right ;  and 
should,  on  emerging,  find  ourselves  faced  by 
the  enemy's  stone  parapet,  of  which  the 
deserter  had  told  us.  It  was  therefore  very 
desirable,  from  tactical  as  well  as  strateo-ical 
reasons,  to  find  a  way  by  which  we  could 
outflank  the  position  ;  and  I  was  sent  by 
General  Earle  to  ascertain  if  such  a  way 
was  to  be  found.  Accompanied  by  Colonel 
Butler,  Colonel  Colvile,  Major  Slade,  and 
the  deserter  from  Birti,  I  reconnoitred  with 
the  mounted  troops  to  the  south-east  into 
the  desert;  and  ascending  a  high  detached 
hill   about   six   miles   from    our    camp,   and 


RETREAT    OF    THE    ENEMY.  lOI 

four  and  a  half  miles  from  Birti,  discov- 
ered that  the  low  hills  which  enclosed  the 
position  of  Birti  formed  a  semicircle,  with 
its  flanks  on  the  river ;  that  immediately 
behind  the  hills  there  ran,  straight  from 
the  hill  on  which  we  were,  a  broad  khor 
or  wady, — a  dry  sandy  watercourse,  which 
struck  the  river  beyond  the  enemy's  camp, 
and  at  the  end  of  which  we  could  see  the 
palm-trees  on  the  river-bank  that  marked 
— so  our  deserter  said — the  site  of  Suleiman 
Wad  Gamr's  abode.  It  was  evident  that 
from  this  wady  there  were  branches  leading 
straight  into  the  enemy's  camp,  and  the 
deserter  assured  us  it  was  so.  Here  then 
was  our  line  of  attack  clearly  marked  out, 
and  the  more  satisfactorily  that  the  khor 
could  be  reached  from  the  camp  at  Gamra 
without  passing  over  more  than  about  two 
miles  of  broken  ground. 

It  struck  us  at  the  time  as  singular  that 
we  saw  no  signs  of  the  enemy's  presence, 
— not  a  man  on  the  look-out,  not  a  beast 
f^razino^  on  the  shrubs  and  coarse  ^rass  of 


I02  KAB    EL    ABD    TO    GAMRA. 

the   wady;  and   I   should  have  pushed  our 
reconnaissance  along  the  wady,  were  it  not 
that,    feeling    sure    General     Earle    would 
adopt  this  line  of  attack,  I  did  not  like  to 
show  our  hand.     Up  to  this  time  the  enemy 
evidently   considered    us    only    capable    of 
movingf  aloncr  the  river-bank,  and  it  would  be 
danoferous  to  disabuse  their  minds  too  soon. 
On  our  return  to  camp  in  the  evening, 
Slade   proceeded    to   examine   at    length    a 
deserter  who  had  come  into  our  camp   in 
the  morning,  but  whom   he  had  only  cur- 
sorily questioned  before  our  start  to  recon- 
noitre.     From   this   man   he  learnt  that  on 
the    previous   day — a    report    having    been 
received   at    Birti   that   the    English  would 
attack  from  the  desert  side,  and   that  the 
Turks  (Mudir's  troops)  would  advance  on 
the  riofht  bank — a  council  of  war  had  been 
held,    at   which    it    was    decided    to    retire. 
The  troops  had  broken  up  at  sunset,  and 
marched  (about    1500   in   number)   towards 
Salamat,  with    the   intention,   this    deserter 
said,  of  going  to  the  Shukook  pass.     So,  if 


RETREAT  OF  THE  ENEMY.      103 

this  were  true,  Birti  was  empty  at  the  very 
time  we  were  reconnoitring  for  the  best  way 
to  attack  it. 

Before  starting  with  me  in  the  morning, 
Colvile  had  received  a  letter  from  the 
Vakeel.  I  must  preface  what  is  coming  by 
saying  that  the  Vakeel,  when  at  Korti  at 
New  Year,  had  been  promised  a  very  hand- 
some reward  if  he  were  instrumental  in 
catchinof  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr  and  the 
blind  man,  and  was  very  eager  to  earn  it. 
His  letter  now  was  to  the  effect  that  last 
night  (30th),  Omar,  Suleiman's  uncle,  had 
come  in,  and  asked  the  Vakeel  to  promise 
him  for  the  remainder  of  his  tribe  and 
Suleiman,  that  nobody  would  hurt  them. 
The  Vakeel  had  promised  that  no  harm 
should  happen  to  them  or  to  Suleiman, 
whereupon  Omar  had  gone  back  to  bring 
them.  "  We  shall  get  them  by  these 
means,"  said  the  Vakeel,  "and  then  we 
can  do  what  we  like."  The  Vakeel  was 
in  high  spirits  over  this  joyful  news,  which 
must  have  been  rather  damped  by  Colonel 


104  KAB    EL   ABD    TO    GAMRA.  ' 

Colvile's  reply  :  **  We  will  treat  Omar  and       ' 
his  brothers  well  if  they  come  in  ;  but  the 
only  promise    we.  can    make    to    Suleiman       | 
Wad    Gamr   and    Colonel    Stewart's    mur- 
derers  is,    that  we   will    hanof  them    if  we 
catch  them." 

Colvile,  as   soon    as  he  returned    to  our 
camp,   crossed   over  and    saw   the   Vakeel,       ' 
reminded  him  of  his  repeated   instructions 
to    make    no    terms    with     Suleiman    Wad      '] 
Gamr,    and    said    his    proposal    could    not 
be  for  a  moment  entertained.     To  this  he 
replied    that    the    only   way  we    could   get 
through     our    difficulties    was    by    leading 
Suleiman   to   believe   we   were   his   friends, 
and    killing    him    afterwards.       On    Colvile 
refusing  to   listen  to  such  a   proposal,  the 
Vakeel    handed    him    a    letter   of    remon- 
strance,   saying   that   if  we   could   bring   in        I 
vSuleiman,    the    tribes    before   us   would    be        > 
scattered ;     if   not,    we    should    have   great 
trouble.       Colvile    then     returned    to    our 
camp,   and    in    the  course   of  the    evening 
received    another    letter   from    the   Vakeel, 


RETREAT    OF    THE    ENEMY.  105 

saying  that  Omar  and  Abu  Bekr,  Suleiman's 
uncles,  had  come  into  his  canip  as  friends, 
asserting  that  they  had  sent  Lekalik  and 
Moussa,  with  their  people,  away  out  of  their 
country,  and  that  they  held  their  own  people 
to  be  with  the  Government.  This  was 
rather  amusing,  considering  that  neither 
Omar  nor  Abu  Bekr  had  any  authority 
over  the  Monassir,  and  that  Lekalik  and 
Moussa  had  only  retired  the  night  before 
to  seek  a  better  position  in  the  Shukook 
pass. 

Colvile  was  directed  to  inform  the  Va- 
keel immediately  that  General  Earle  dis- 
tinctly refused  to  acknowledge,  and  repu- 
diated, any  promises  made  to  Suleiman 
Wad  Gamr ;  and  that  General  Earle  had 
been  sent  here  to  punish  Suleiman  and  the 
other  murderers  of  Colonel  Stewart  and  the 
English  and  French  Consuls,  and  to  punish 
those  who  had  made  themselves  accom- 
l)Hces  in  the  murder  by  not  bringing  in 
Suleiman  as  a  prisoner.  Colvile  was  fur- 
ther instructed  to  i^roceed  at  an  early  hour 


I06  KAB    EL   ABD    TO    GAMRA. 

on  the  1st  to  the  Vakeels  camp,  and  bring 
him  over  to  see  General  Earle,  bringing  over 
at  the  same  time  Omar  and  Abu  Bekr. 

Colonel  Butler  was  directed  to  recon- 
noitre to  Birti  with  the  mounted  troops  as 
early  as  possible  in  the  morning  of  the  ist; 
half  a  battalion  of  the  Black  Watch  was 
directed  to  march  towards  Birti  in  support 
of  his  reconnaissance  ;  and  all  troops  in  rear 
of  Gamra  were  ordered  to  advance  by 
boat. 


lO/ 


CHAPTER    VII. 

BIRTI HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY. 

At  the  usual  early  hour  on  the  ist  February,  ist  Feb. 
the  troops  moved  as  ordered.  Colonel 
Butler  entered  Birti,  and  found  it  deserted  ; 
his  scouts,  pushing  three  miles  farther,  found 
traces  of  the  enemy's  retreat.  As  soon  as 
his  report  arrived,  the  wing  of  the  Black 
Watch,  which  had  been  pushed  on  in  sup- 
port, was  ordered  back ;  and  as  the  leading 
Staffords  arrived  at  Gamra,  the  other  wing 
of  the  Black  Watch  was  pushed  on  into  the 
Rahami  cataract,  and  a  wing  of  the  Corn- 
walls  was  ordered  on  into  the  rapids  to 
follow  the  Staffords.  The  artillery  and 
convoy  were  ordered  up  from  their  position 
in  rear  of  Mishami  to  Gamra. 


I08  BIRTI. 

Colonel  Colvile  brought  over  the  Vakeel 
into  our  camp,  Gaudet  seemed  incapable 
of  believing  we  were  so  stupid  as  to  be  in 
earnest  in  refusing  to  capture  Suleiman  by 
promises  of  safety,  with  a  view  to  putting 
him  to  death  subsequently ;  but  at  last  our 
dull  obstinacy  overcame  him,  and  he  be- 
lieved. He  still,  however,  had  some  hopes 
of  catching  Suleiman  through  the  agency 
of  Omar  and  Abu  Bekr,  and  accordingly 
they  were  allowed  to  return  to  his  camp, 
where  Colvile  also  returned.  Later  in  the 
day,  however,  he  learned  that  Suleiman  had 
(led  beyond  recall.  He  then  threw  up  his 
hand  in  disgust,  and  withdrew  his  opposi- 
tion to  our  issuing  the  proclamation  offering 
rewards  for  the  apprehension  of  Suleiman 
and  the  blind  man,  which  he  had  hitherto 
declared  would  remove  the  last  hope  of 
capturing  either  of  them. 

His  interview  with  the  Vakeel  ended. 
General  Earle  rode  on  to  the  advanced 
post  of  the  Black  Watch,  and  as  soon  as 
he    received    Colonel     Butler's    report    that 


HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF   THE    ENEMY.    109 

Birti  was  deserted,  he  rode  on  there.  He 
discovered  the  boat  of  Colonel  Stewart's 
steamer  on  the  shore,  and  there  came  run- 
ning to  him  a  man  who  announced  himself 
to  be  Hassain,  the  stoker  of  the  ill-fated 
steamer.  Hassain  gave  the  story  of  the 
wreck  and  the  murder  in  detail.  It  differed 
little  from  the  accounts  so  well  known,  and 
so  often  published ;  but  it  fixed  the  date  of 
the  murder  as  Thursday,  iSth  September, 
and  it  more  directly  connected  Suleiman 
with  the  murder  than  any  account  we  had 
yet  heard.  He  had  made  his  way  down 
the  river  after  the  murder,  had  been  taken 
prisoner,  and  kept  safe  by  Omar,  Sulei- 
man's uncle,  who  had  used  him  as  a  slave. 
We  were  anxious  to  keep  him  with  us,  that 
he  might  identify  the  site  of  the  murder 
on  our  reaching  Hebbeh  ;  but  he  was  eager 
to  return  to  his  home  in  Upper  Egypt,  and 
soon  made  his  escape. 

Our  mounted  troops  fell  back  to  Gam- 
ra,  and  that  night  we  bivouacked  as 
under : — 


no  BIRTI. 

Half  the  Black  Watch  in  advance  of 
Gamra  in  the   Rahanii  cataract. 

Headquarters,  mounted  troops,  Staffords, 
half  the  Black  Watch,  artillery,  and  convoy 
at  Gamra. 

Half  the  Cornwalls  at  Warag,  and  half 
in  the  Umhaboah  cataract  between  Warag 
and  Mishami. 

The  Gordons  were  through  the  Edermih 
cataract ;  and  Captain  Orde,  the  boat  officer 
sent  to  pilot  them,  reported  that  cataract 
far  worse  than  when  he  had  passed  it 
before,  owing  to  the  considerable  fall  of 
the  river. 

In  reading  through  the  rough  diary  of 
our  daily  proceedings,  I  am  struck  by  the 
frequency  of  the  expression  applied  to  the 
rapids  :  "  The  worst  yet  encountered,"  or 
"the  most  difficult  yet  met  with."  The 
fact  is,  that  from  Ooli  to  Birti  the  river  was 
but  a  succession  of  rapids  as  bad  as  it  was 
possible  for  the  boats  to  pass.  If  there 
was  one  part  worse  than  another,  it  was 
the    series    of   rapids    along    the    left   bank 


HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF   THE    ENEMY.     Ill 

between   Gamra  and    Birti,   known    as    the 
Rahami  cataract.     Into  this  half  the  Black 
Watch    had    already    penetrated ;    and    the 
remaining  wing  was   sent  forward  early  on  2d  Feb. 
the  2d  February. 

All  our  boat  officers  were  suffering  in 
health  from  constant  exposure  to  the  sun, 
severe  physical  fatigue,  and  the  incessant 
strain  upon  their  energies.  There  was 
danger  of  their  breakingf  down  ;  and  ac- 
cordingly,  two  additional  officers  were  se- 
lected and  appointed  to  act  as  boat  officers 
— Lieutenant  Morris,  D.C. L. I.,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Livingstone  of  the  Black  Watch. 
The  rapids  immediately  before  us  proved 
fully  sufficient  to  tax  their  powers  to  the 
utmost. 

General  Earle  considered  it  important  to 
occupy  Birti  at  once  ;  and  as  the  news  of 
the  enemy's  movements  justified  him  in 
pushing  forward  the  mounted  troops  alone, 
Colonel  Butler  was  sent  on  with  the  Hus- 
sars and  camel  corps  to  form  a  zareeba 
and   hold    it.      Having  formed   a  zareeba. 


112  BIRTI. 

he  reconnoitred  five  miles  in  advance,  and 
came  upon  some  baggage  and  provisions 
abandoned  by  the  enemy.  He  saw  no  in- 
habitants. The  river  was  smooth,  resem- 
bHng  a  Scotch  loch  ;  the  country  along  the 
shore  exceedingly  rough,  with  rocks  coming 
down  to  near  the  river. 

A  refugee  from  the  rebel  camp  reported 
that  the  rebels  had  halted  a  day  at  the 
entrance  to  the  Shukook  pass,  but  when 
they  heard  that  the  English  were  in  Birti 
they  had  retired  farther.  He  had  heard 
that  Lekalik  and  Suleiman  were  going  to 
Berber,  and  Moussa  to  the  Robatab  country. 
There  had  been  many  desertions  since  Birti 
was  abandoned,  and  Suleiman,  who  had 
seen  the  proclamation  offering  a  reward  for 
his  capture,  was  reported  to  be  in  great 
alarm.  A  report  from  Colonel  Colvile, 
however,  said  that  the  information  brought 
to  the  Vakeel  was  to  the  effect  that  the 
rebels  were  halted,  and  were  holding  the 
Shukook  pass. 

The   Icadino'   wine   of  the   Black   Watch 


HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY.     II3 

was,  early  in  the  day,  engaged  in  over- 
coming a  most  serious  succession  of  bad 
rushes  of  water  ;  and  its  progress  was  very 
slow.  Alleyne  resolved  to  try,  if  pos- 
sible, to  find  another  passage,  and  sent 
Colonel  Denison,  with  his  crew  of  voya- 
geurs,  to  examine  another  channel  on  the 
north  of  the  great  island  opposite  us.  I 
rode  on  to  Birti,  and  there  found  Colonel 
Denison,  who  had  succeeded  in  passing 
through  this  northern  channel,  and  reported 
it,  though  difficult,  by  no  means  so  bad  as 
the  southern  channel.  Accordingly,  on  my 
return,  all  troops  not  already  committed  to 
the  left  bank  were  diverted  into  this  chan- 
nel ;  but  seven  companies  of  the  Black 
Watch  had  advanced  too  far  to  return  with 
safety.  The  troops  worked  till  dusk,  and 
then  bivouacked  by  half-battalions  on  the 
high  bank  above  their  boats  in  the  Rahami 
cataract.  The  Cornwalls,  with  headquarters, 
artillery,  and  convoy,  bivouacked  at  Gamra. 

On  the  following  day  (3d)  the  Cornwalls  3d  Feb. 
entered    the     cataract  ;    and     headquarters, 

U 


114  BIRTI. 

with  the  artillery  and  convoy,  marched  to 
Birti,  where,  late  in  the  evening,  five  com- 
panies of  the  Staffords  arrived  by  the 
northern  passage  after  twelve  hours'  unre- 
mitting toil.  The  whole  of  the  remainder 
of  the  infantry  was  still  struggling  through 
the  cataract ;  but  the  General  had  not  hesi- 
tated to  push  forward  the  convoy,  there  being 
no  fear  of  attack,  and  the  ground  at  Birti 
offering  an  admirable  site  for  an  encamp- 
ment, and  ample  supplies  of  growing  forage. 
The  Mudir's  troops  occupied  the  village 
of  Hush  el  Jeruf  on  the  right  bank  oppo- 
site our  camp,  and  Colvile  reported  that  his 
information  was  that  the  rebels  had  retired 
beyond  the  Shukook  pass,  that  no  resist- 
ance was  to  be  expected  there,  that  Sulei- 
man's movements  were  uncertain,  and  that 
it  was  doubtful  whether  he  had  or  had  not 
fled  to  Berber.  One  of  our  own  spies, 
however,  brought  us  in  apparently  more 
definite  information.  He  said  that  Lekalik 
and  Moussa  were  encamped  at  the  far  end 
of  the  Shukook  pass ;  that  they  had  given 


HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY.     1 15 

Suleiman  six  days  to  collect  his  cattle  and 
family  at  Salamat,  promising  to  hold  the 
pass  for  that  time,  but  no  longer ;  and  that 
then  Suleiman  was  to  go  with  Lekalik 
across  the  desert  to  Abu  Es^li,  Moussa 
returning  to  his  own  country. 

The  mounted  troops  patrolled  some  six 
miles  to  the  front ;  and  Colonel  Butler  re- 
ported that  he  had  found  a  site  for  a  camp 
about  this  distance  forward,  which  was 
equally  suitable  for  one  battalion  or  for 
two,  with  forage  and  good  ground  for 
mounted  troops,  and  that  there  was  nothing 
but  clear  water  between  it  and  Birti.  The 
General  therefore  decided  to  push  forward 
the  mounted  troops  and  the  Staffords  on 
the  following  day. 

Meanwhile  the  houses  in  Birti  had  been 
carefully  searched  by  our  intelligence  offi- 
cers, and  large  quantities  of  papers  found 
were  examined.  Some  few  relics  of  Stew- 
art's party  were  discovered,  fragments  of 
French  and  English  books,  a  portion  of  an 
English  "field  boot,"  the  broken  face  and 


Il6  BIRTI. 

case  of  an  aneroid  barometer,  which  I  have 
since  ascertained  was  sold  to  Stewart  an 
hour  or  two  before  his  departure  from  Char- 
ing Cross  with  General  Gordon.  These 
were  all  found  in  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr's 
house.  Every  effort  was  made  to  ascertain 
correctly  which  houses,  trees,  and  sakyehs 
were  the  property  of  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr, 
and  of  any  prominent  rebels ;  and  a  list  of 
them  was  prepared. 

For  the  first  time  since  leavino-  Belal  we 
found  ourselves  in  a  well-cultivated  country. 
Birti  was  an  oasis  in  the  wilderness  of 
hideous  rocks,  through  which  for  ten  days 
we  had  been  wending  our  weary  way. 
Both  on  the  mainland  and  on  the  hiofh  hill 
island  opposite  there  were  many  sakyehs, 
and  plentiful  green  crops.  Our  commis- 
sariat officers,  with  the  camels  of  the  trans- 
port company,  were  engaged  in  searching 
for  grain.  Some  was  found  in  the  houses, 
and  much  more  buried  in  pits  on  the 
island. 

The    enemy's    camp   had    been    situated 


HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY.     11/ 

Oil  uncultivated  ground,  some  distance  be- 
low (down-stream  of)  the  village  of  Birti 
itself.  A  semicircle  of  low  rocky  hills  sur- 
rounded it,  the  ends  of  the  semicircle  rest- 
ing on  the  river.  In  the  midst  of  it  there 
was  a  low  rocky  eminence ;  and  on  this, 
on  the  slopes  of  the  hills,  and  on  the  flat 
ground  below,  the  dervishes  had  constructed 
their  shelters  of  boughs  of  trees  and  straw 
mats.  One  of  the  most  curious  features 
of  the  camp  was  the  number  of  places  of 
prayer  of  large  size,  prepared  on  spaces  of 
flat  ground  by  clearing  away  all  stones, 
carefully  marked  out  by  lines  of  stones, 
with  the  same  point  towards  the  east,  with 
which  we  are  all  familiar  on  oriental 
prayer-carpets.  Judging  by  my  experience 
of  native  camps  built  in  a  similar  way  in 
Ashanti,  I  should  say  there  had  been  from 
1500  to  2000  men  encamped  here.  We 
could  see  where  the  tents  of  the  three 
chiefs  had  been,  and  the  stables  of  their 
horses.  Nothing  of  any  value  was  found 
in  the  camp  :  a  few  cooking-pots,  walking- 


Il8  BIRTI. 

Sticks,  one  or  two  pieces  of  wood  with 
verses  from  the  Koran  written  on  them, 
some  inferior  straw  mats,  were  all  that  we 
could  find.  No  arms  of  any  kind  were 
discovered  ;  but  a  thousand  rounds  of  Rem- 
ington ammunition  were  found  in  one  of  the 
houses.  The  broad  wady  by  which  v/e  had 
purposed  to  march  to  the  attack  led  directly 
round  the  back  of  the  camp  to  the  culti- 
vated ground  behind,  and  had  wide  easy 
passages  leading  right  into  the  heart  of  the 
camp.  It  was  a  matter  of  sore  regret  to 
us  not  to  have  found  the  enemy  here  ;  and 
it  became  evident  to  us  that  unless  they 
deliberately  stayed  to  meet  us,  we  never 
could  hope  to  overtake  them.  Already  the 
head  of  the  Black  Watch  had  been  three 
days  in  the  Rahami  cataract,  and  not  a  boat 
had  reached  Birti. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th,  the  Stafifords 
closed  up  at  Birti,  and  six  companies  were 
sent  on  by  river,  their  advance  covered  by 
the  mounted  troops.  The  leading  com- 
panies   arrived    at    the    site    selected    by 


HALT,  AND  ADVANCE  OF  THE  ENEMY.  I  19 

Colonel  Butler,  and  by  him  christened 
Castle  Camp,  at  noon.  Butler  recon- 
noitred along  the  bank  for  between  three 
and  four  miles  farther  over  exceedingly- 
broken  ground,  where  horses  had  frequently 
to  be  led  in  single  file.  A  mile  and  a  half 
above  Castle  Camp  the  rapids  began  again  ; 
but  Alleyne,  who  reconnoitred  in  his  boat 
to  their  foot,  and  examined  them,  pro- 
nounced that  they  could  be  passed.  A 
mile  above  Castle  Camp,  a  large  island 
(Dulka)  began,  and  extended  from  three 
to  four  miles.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the 
island  there  appeared  to  be  a  stretch  of 
clear  water ;  but  Alleyne,  who  examined  it, 
discovered  much  broken  water  and  many 
islands  beyond. 

During  the  day  the  Black  Watch  con- 
centrated at  Birti.  They  had  been  four 
days  in  the  cataract,  seven  miles  in  length, 
working  from  dawn  to  dusk.  They  had 
lost  one  man  drowned,  and  two  boats. 
The  last  two  companies  of  the  Staffords 
were  also  kept  at  Birti,  five  of  their  boats 


I20  BIRTI. 

being  in  need  of  repair.  They  were  all 
ordered  to  advance  to  Castle  Camp  on  the 
5th  ;  but  no  orders  were  issued  for  any  ad- 
vance beyond  that  place,  pending  Colonel 
Butler's  reconnaissance  report,  which  did 
not  arrive  till  the  following  day. 

A  party  of  Royal  Engineers  and  two  com- 
panies of  the  Black  Watch,  under  instruc- 
tions of  the  intelligence  officers,  were  em- 
ployed in  destroying  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr's 
houses,  date-palms,  and  sakyehs. 

The  Cornwalls  were  still  in  Rahami  cat- 
aract, and  news  arrived  that  the  Gordons 
had  passed  through  Kab  el  Abd  cataract. 
A  boat  officer  was  sent  back  from  Birti  to 
pilot  them  on,  and  to  relieve  the  one  who 
had  broucjht  them  throuQfh  Edermih  and 
Kab  el  Abd. 

General  Earle  hoped  now  to  be  able  to 
move  the  Cornwalls  forward  from  Birti  on 
the  6th  ;  and  he  therefore  gave  orders  to 
Colonel  Colvile  to  instruct  the  Vakeel  to 
cross  the  Mudir's  troops  over  on  the  6th 
to  the  left  bank,  with  a  view  to  their  re- 


HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY.     121 

maining  in  occupation  of  the  Monassir 
country  during  our  advance  to  Berber. 

The  General  also,  thinking  that  the 
Vakeel  could  be  of  great  use  to  him  in  his 
advance  as  far  as  Salamat  by  collecting 
information,  directed  Colvile  to  request 
him  to  cross  over  with  an  escort  on  the 
5th,  in  readiness  to  advance  with  our  head- 
quarters on  the  6th.  Colvile  was  himself 
to  come  over,  and  to  bring  with  him 
Suleiman's  uncles  and  some  other  sheikhs 
who  had  surrendered  to  the  Vakeel.  This 
was  in  compliance  with  Lord  Wolseley's 
orders  that  we  were  to  take  on  to  Berber 
all  sheikhs  who  might  come  into  our  camp, 
as  hostages  for  the  crood  behaviour  of  their 
people  in  our  rear. 

Colvile  heliographed  back  that  the  Va- 
keel did  not  wish  to  go  any  farther,  say- 
ing his  doing  so  would  be  contrary  to 
the  Mudir's  orders,  and  that  he  was  tired. 
He  wished,  however,  to  speak  to  General 
Earle,  and  would  come  across  next  day, 
brineino-    Abu    Bekr    and    Wad    el    Turki. 


122  BIRTI. 

He  could  not  bring  Omar,  as  he  had  run 
away. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  General  Earle 
sent  over  to  say,  through  Colvile,  that  he 
was  sorry  the  Vakeel  found  it  inconvenient, 
but  must  insist  on  his  coming  over  and 
accompanying  the  General  to  Salamat.  In 
reply,  the  Vakeel  wrote  a  letter  saying  his 
advancing  to  Salamat  would  be  useless,  as 
he  did  not  know  the  country  ;  that  he  had 
orders  from  the  Mudir  to  collect  taxes  at 
Hamdab  and  in  the  cataracts  by  the  help 
of  the  Mudir's  troops ;  that  if  he  advanced 
to  Salamat,  their  collection  would  be  de- 
layed. He  could  not  disobey  the  Mudir's 
orders  ;  and  he  thought  his  remaining  where 
he  was  with  the  troops  would  have  a  good 
effect,  preventing  the  Monassir  from  re- 
turning. 

General  Earle  still  insisting  upon  his 
point,  the  Vakeel  at  last  gave  way,  con- 
senting to  bring  his  troops  over,  and  to 
accompany  the  General,  but  asserting  it 
would  be  impossible  for  him  to  start  until 


HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY.     123 

the  8th.  General  Earle  then  consented  to 
give  him  an  interview,  and  he  came  over 
to  our  camp.  He  protested  with  such 
apparent  show  of  reason  the  utter  useless- 
ness  of  his  going  to  Salamat,  that  General 
Earle  consented  to  allow  him  to  remain  at 
Birti  with  the  Mudir's  troops,  on  condition 
that  they  crossed  over  on  the  morrow. 
To  this  the  Vakeel  consented  promptly ; 
and  General  Earle  telegraphed  to  Lord 
Wolseley,  asking  him  to  urge  the  Mudir 
to  insist  on  their  remaining  at  Birti,  at  least 
till  we  should  reach  Abu  Hamed. 

With  him  the  Vakeel  had  brought  Abu 
Bekr,  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr's  uncle,  and 
Wad  el  Turki ;  and  they  now  remained  in 
our  camp.  It  was  known  that  neither  Abu 
Bekr  nor  Omar  had  been  on  friendly  terms 
with  Naaman,  Suleiman's  father,  and  they 
were  not  supposed  to  be  on  friendly  terms 
with  Suleiman  himself;  but  a  very  com- 
promising letter  was  found  on  Abu  Bekr's 
person,  written  shortly  after  the  murder  by 
Suleiman,  bidding  Abu   Bekr  come  to  the 


124  BIRTI. 

council  to  be  held,  and  speaking  of  having 
been  occupied  with  the  disposal  of  the 
prisoners  from  the  steamer.  However, 
Abu  Bekr  had  come  in  under  a  promise  of 
safety ;  and  as  he  was  not  actively  a  partic- 
ipator in  the  murder,  we  were  able  to  treat 
him  kindlv,  and  use  him  as  a  oruide. 

Abd  el  Rahman  Wad  el  Turki  was  a 
sheikh  of  the  Shagiyeh  tribe.  He  had 
fought  against  the  Mudir's  troops  at  Deb- 
beh  and  at  Korti,  having  raised  a  small 
force.  After  the  defeat  at  Korti,  he  had 
retired  to  the  rocks  above  Edermih  cata- 
ract, and  had  collected  another  force  there. 
He  had  remained  there  till  our  advance, 
when  he  retired  to  Birti,  and  joined  the 
Robatab  under  Moussa,  bringing  with  him 
a  contingent  of  about  lOO  men.  He  was  a 
great  partisan  of  the  Mahdi. 

Colonel  Butler's  reconnaissance  reports 
having  arrived  during  the  night  of  the  4th. 
General  Earle  informed  him,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  5th,  that  he  did  not  wish  any 
advance    in    boats    beyond    Castle    Camp 


HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY.    125 

until  the  two  channels  in  front  had  been 
more  thoroughly  examined.  "  Lieut-Colonel 
Alleyne,"  the  instructions  run,  "should  push 
boat-reconnaissance  up  both  channels  until 
he  has  discovered  which  is  the  best,  and 
should  examine  the  ground  with  a  view  to 
sites  for  camping,  while  you  are  making  an 
extended  reconnaissance  towards  the  front." 
The  Black  Watch  and  remainder  of  the 
Staffords  were  sent  on  to  Castle  Camp,  and 
Colonel  Butler  was  told  to  order  the  ad- 
vance of  the  Staffords  on  the  following  day 
to  such  point  as  he  might  consider  best 
after  reconnaissance  and  consultation  with 
Alleyne.  Butler  was  requested  to  make 
his  reconnaissance  early,  so  that  his  report 
might  arrive  before  sundown,  as  no  further 
orders  would  be  issued  till  it  arrived.  With 
General  Earle's  memorandum,  a  boy,  who 
had  been  captured  in  the  Mahdi's  uniform, 
and  who  said  that  he  had  deserted  from 
the  rebel  camp  at  Shukook,  was  sent  to  act 
as  a  guide. 

While    the    Staffords   and    Black   Watch 


126  BIRTI. 

were  advancing-  to  Castle  Camp,  the  Corn- 
walls  were  arriving  at  Birti ;  and  as  they 
arrived,  they  were  employed  completing  the 
destruction  of  the  houses,  palm-trees,  and 
sakyehs  of  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr,  his  uncle 
Omar,  and  other  prominent  rebels.  Noth- 
ing is  easier  than  to  destroy  a  sakyek,  its 
timber  and  rope  burning  freely.  We 
found  that  by  an  occasional  charge  of  gun- 
cotton,  and  by  the  free  use  of  pickaxes,  we 
could  rapidly  level  the  largest  mud  -  built 
house  to  the  ground.  But  the  destruction 
of  palm-trees  is  a  difficult  matter.  The 
tough  fibrous  bark  blunts  the  axes,  and  the 
tree  will  not  burn  freely  ;  nevertheless  some 
280  date-palms  were  cut  down  or  utterly 
destroyed  by  fire. 

The  Commissariat  continued  their  search 
for  grain  ;  and  it  was  reported  to  me  that 
our  horses  were  now  rationed  with  grain 
up  to  the  6th  March,  and  our  natives  with 
flour  to  23d  March,  without  counting  six  tons 
of  unground  wheat  to  be  used  for  either 
natives  or  horses  as  most  required.      From 


HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY.     127 

Hamdab  to  Birti  no  supplies  of  any  kind, 
except  growing  forage,  had  been  obtain- 
able either  by  capture  or  purchase.  The 
country  had  been  a  desolate  waste ;  the 
people  had  buried  their  grain  in  the  desert, 
and  driven  off  their  cattle.  By  no  offers 
could  they  be  induced  to  bring  even  milk 
for  sale,  and  by  no  promise  of  wage  could 
they  be  tempted  to  engage  in  our  service 
as  labourers. 

That  afternoon,  about  four  o'clock,  a  ci- 
pher-telegram arrived  from  General  Wood, 
who,  we  thus  learned,  was  acting  as  Chief 
of  the  Staff  in  place  of  Sir  R.  Buller. 
General  Earle  and  I  deciphered  it  to- 
gether. It  ran  thus  :  "  4th  Feb.,  8.50  p.m. — 
I  am  ordered  by  Lord  Wolseley  to  inform 
you  that,  to  his  deep  regret,  Khartoum  was 
found  by  Wilson  to  be  in  possession  of 
enemy.  Wilson  in  returning  was  wrecked, 
but  steamer  has  gone  for  him,  and  there  is 
no  apparent  danger  for  him.  You  are  to 
halt  where  you  are  until  further  orders." 

It  is  needless  to  say  what  we  felt.      Any 


128  BIRTI. 

thought  for  ourselves  was  swallowed  up  in 
grief  for  what  we  could  onl)^  interpret  to 
mean  Gordon's  certain  death.  Both  of  us 
felt,  too,  how  great  the  shock  would  be  to 
Lord  Wolseley ;  and  to  me  there  was  a 
peculiar  sting  in  the  fact  of  this  blow  com- 
ing upon  the  anniversary  of  the  capture  of 
Coomassie.  But  action  had  to  be  at  once 
taken,  and  immediate  orders  were  sent  to 
Colonel  Butler  that  none  of  his  troops  were 
to  move  without  further  orders, — that  he 
was  to  patrol  with  small  bodies  of  cavalry 
only,  and  hold  all  his  troops  ready  to  move 
at  short  notice.  Colvile  was  instructed  that 
the  Mudir's  troops  were  not  to  cross  on  the 
morrow ;  and,  convinced  in  his  own  mind, 
as  I  was  in  mine,  that  we  should  be  at  once 
recalled.  General  Earle  would  not  bring  the 
Gordon  Highlanders  to  Birti,  but  sent  back 
his  aide-de-camp  with  orders  to  them  to  close 
up  at  Gamra,  construct  a  zareeba,  and  halt 
there  till  further  orders.  The  officer  sent 
with  the  order  failed  to  find  them,  as  they 
had  not  reached  Gamra,  where  he  fully  ex- 


HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY.    1 29 

pected  they  would  be ;  and  darkness  came 
on  before  he  could  go  farther.  The  order, 
however,  reached  them  on  the  following 
morning  early.  The  contents  of  the  tele- 
gram were  kept  strictly  secret,  no  one  but 
General  Earle  and  myself  knowing  the 
cause  of  the  orders  to  halt. 

The  evening  brought  us  the  report  of 
Colonel  Butler's  reconnaissance.  It  has  a 
singular  interest  by  the  light  of  subsequent 
events.  He  had  proceeded  in  the  direction 
of  the  Shukook  pass,  getting  out  to  the  river 
whenever  practicable.  He  had  ascended  a 
high  range  of  hills  near  the  upper  end  of  the 
large  island  (Dulka)  about  six  to  seven  miles 
distant  from  his  camp — a  range  which  he 
described  as  continued  across  the  several 
branches  of  the  river,  its  highest  point  being 
attained  in  a  large  dome-shaped  hill  on  the 
island  of  Boni,  which  overlaps  Dulka.  For 
more  than  an  hour  previously,  the  native  boy 
we  had  sent  him  had  constantly  been  inform- 
ing him  that  Shukook  was  only  a  very  short 

distance  ahead — on  several  occasions  point- 

I 


I30  BIRTI. 

ing  out  what  he  called  the  entrance  to  the 
pass,  amid  the  rugged  surrounding  rocks. 
Now,  however,  from  the  top  of  the  hill  he 
pointed  out  a  place  two  miles  distant  as  the 
real  Shukook,  and  asserted  that  a  lower 
range  lying  between  him  and  It  was  Im- 
mediately over  the  enemy's  camp.  Colonel 
Butler  had  found  one  or  two  sites  which 
would  do  for  a  camp.  The  ridge  which  he 
had  ascended  was  that  on  which,  five  days 
later,  we  fought  the  action  of  KIrbekan. 

Alleyne  had  proceeded  up  the  southern 
channel  to  the  foot  of  the  rapids,  and  then 
walked  on  the  shore  of  the  island  nearly 
two  miles  farther.  He  pronounced  the 
channel  practicable.  The  northern  channel 
was  a  maze  of  islands,  rocks,  and  rapid 
water. 

In  acknowledging  his  instructions  not  to 
move  till  further  orders,  Butler  reported 
later  that  his  camel-corps  patrol  had  fallen 
In  with  the  enemy,  exchanged  shots,  brought 
in  a  prisoner,  and  captured  some  camels, 
goats,    and    cattle.      We   afterwards    found 


HALT,    AND   ADVANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY.    131 

they  had  come  across  a  party  of  armed  vil- 
lagers tending  their  flocks  in  a  desert  wady. 
Before  the  arrival  of  the  teleg^ram  tellinor 
us  of  the  fall  of  Khartoum,  a  long  telegram 
had  been  sent  to  Lord  Wolseley  detailing 
the  position   of  the  troops    and   the  latest 
news   of  the   enemy.      General    Earle  said 
in  this  that  he  did  not  anticipate  resistance 
this  side  of  Abu   Hamed,  and  would  push 
on  as  rapidly  as  possible,  consistently  with 
the  necessary  precautions.      "  The  road  be- 
yond this,"  he  said,  "is  as  bad  as  the  river 
— a  tangled  mass  of  rocks,  quite  unsuited 
for  mounted  troops,  and   affording  neither 
ofood  anchorao^e  nor  grood  Qrround  for  bivou- 
acs."     We  had  informed  Colonel  Rundle  at 
Korosko  of  our  advance  beyond  Birti  hav- 
ing  commenced ;    and   in   addition    to    our 
previous  urgent  demands  for  boat-repairing 
materials  and  paint,  horse-shoes  and  nails, 
to  be  sent  to  meet  us  at  Abu  Hamed,  we 
now  added  a   moving  appeal  for  trousers, 
telegraphing :    "  Men's    and   many   officers' 
trousers  in  rags  ;  not  sufficient  for  decency." 


132  BIRTI. 

Lord  Wolseley  was  now  informed  that  his 
telesfram  had  been  received,  and  that  his  in- 
structions  were  being  carried  out;  and  Rundle 
was  advised  that  the  probable  date  of  our 
arrival  at  Salamat,  which  we  had  given  as 
the  loth  February,  must  now  be  postponed. 
6th  Feb.  Early  on  the  6th   I   rode  over  to  Colonel 

Butler's  camp,  and,  by  General  Earle's  per- 
mission, told  him,  under  the  seal  of  secrec}-, 
the  contents  of  yesterday's  telegram.  General 
Earle  rode  back  to  Gamra  and  visited  the 
Gordon  Highlanders. 

All  the  troops  had  a  day  of  thorough  rest, 
much  needed  after  the  unending  labours  of 
the  past  fortnight.  It  gave  them  the  oppor- 
tunity of  washing  their  clothes  and  trying  to 
patch  the  particoloured  rags  they  were  wear- 
ing as  trousers.  General  Earle  talked  over 
with  me  the  arrangements  to  be  made  for 
the  return  to  Korti,  which  we  confidently 
expected  would  be  ordered  ;  and  we  sent  a 
party  of  the  Egyptian  camel  corps  back  to 
Abu  Dom  to  act  as  carriers  of  messages, 
requesting  the  commandants  there  to  send 


HALI',    AND   ADVANCE    OF   THE    ENEMY.    133 

US  all  messages  from  Lord  Wolseley  in 
duplicate  —  one  copy  by  two  of  our  own 
camel-men,  one  copy  by  a  native  messenger. 
And  as  our  stay  at  Birti  might  possibly 
be  prolonged,  we  made  sanitary  arrange- 
ments for  supply  of  water,  &c,,  as  for  a 
standing  camp. 

In  the  evening  Colvile  reported  that  a 
man  had  just  come  in  with  the  news  that  the 
enemy,  who  were  in  Shukook,  had  advanced 
to  Kirbekan  ;  that  they  were  not  a  thousand 
strong,  and  had  about  1 50  rifles.  They  had 
no  outposts  at  night,  but  sent  out  a  patrol 
before  daylight.  He  said  they  had  chosen 
their  present  camp  as  being  easier  to  escape 
from  than  Shukook  in  case  of  defeat.  This 
information  was  at  once  sent  to  Colonel 
Butler. 

On  the  7th  the  troops  were  employed  in  im-  7th  Feb. 
proving  the  sanitary  condition  and  watering- 
arrangements  of  the  camps.  A  quantity  of 
grain  was  discovered  by  our  foraging-parties 
on  Ishishi  island,  and  was  brought  over  to 
our  camp.     We  had  now  not  only  full  loads 


134  DIRT  I. 

of  grain  for  all  our  camels,  but  were  able 
out  of  the  surplus  to  issue  a  small  grain- 
ration  to  the  camels  which  had  hitherto 
been  subsisting  on  growing  crops  only. 
Our  camels  were  in  fair  condition,  but  from 
want  of  sufficient  work  were  becoming  soft, 
and  the  saddle-o-alls  from  which  these  un- 
fortunate  animals  seem  seldom  or  never 
free  were  in  consequence  not  so  healthy. 
We  found  it  necessary  to  exercise  the  camels 
regularly,  which  had  a  better  effect  on  their 
health  than  even  the  issue  of  grain.  Butler 
sent  out  patrols  to  the  scene  of  the  camel 
corps  skirmish  of  the  5th,  without  finding 
any  trace  of  the  enemy. 
8th  Feb.  On  the  morning  of  the  8th  we  sent  to  the 

Chief  of  the  Staff  a  teleo^ram  statinq;  the 
exact  state  of  our  supplies,  based  upon  re- 
turns obtained  durinor  the  halt.  We  told 
him  that  the  total  strength  drawing  rations 
last  night  was  2966  officers  and  men,  and 
fixed  the  exact  number  of  days'  supply  of 
each  article  remaining  for  that  number ;  and 
we  requested  him  so   to  arrange  that   the 


HALT,    AND    ADVANCE    OF    THE    ENEMY.     1 35 

supplies  sent  by  Rundle  to  Korosko  should 
equalise  the  various  articles  of  food.  We 
added  that  we  had  thirty  days'  grain  for 
our  140  horses,  but  none  for  our  580 
camels ;  that  the  latter  had  hitherto  done 
well  on  the  green  forage  of  the  country, 
but  that  a  prolonged  halt  would  make  it 
very  difficult  to  feed  them.  Soap  we  espe- 
cially asked  for  to  be  sent  up  by  first  con- 
voy. We  had  only  thirty  days'  supply 
remaining ;  and  many  of  the  boats  were 
full  of  lice,  which  were  infestinof  the  clothes 
of  the  men,  and  in  some  cases  of  the 
officers. 


136 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

KIRBEKAN — RECONNAISSANCE    AND 
PREPARxVTION. 

8th  Feb.  At  8  A.M.  on  Sunday  the  8th,  General 
Earle  received  a  message  from  General 
Wood,  dated  i  a.m.,  7th:  "  Lord  Wolseley," 
it  said,  "  is  communicating  with  Government 
as  to  future  operations,  but  he  wishes  you  to 
push  on  to  Abu  Hamed,  and  await  further 
orders  there." 

Orders  were  at  once  issued  and  despatched 
for  the  Gordons  to  advance  immediately  by 
the  northern  channel  to  Birti,  and  for  the 
Staffords,  covered  by  the  mounted  troops, 
to  advance  from  Castle  Camp  to  a  point  to 
be  selected  by  Colonel  Butler.  General 
Earle   did  not  wish   to   commit  more   than 


RECONNAISSANCE    AND    PREPARATION.       137 

one  battalion  to  the  rapids,  until  their  nature 
was  more  thoroughly  known,  and  therefore 
he  left  the  Black  Watch  at  Castle  Camp. 
Wishing  to  close  up  the  Gordons  nearer  to 
the  Cornwalls,  he  left  the  latter  also  for  the 
day  at  Birti.  The  Black  Watch  and  a  wing 
of  the  Cornwalls  were  ordered  to  advance 
on  the  Qth,  and  the  Mudir's  troops  to  cross 
over  to  the  left  bank. 

I  rode  over  with  the  orders  to  Castle 
Camp,  and  found  the  men  in  their  red  coats, 
after  church  parade.  Within  half  an  hour 
Alleyne  and  the  first  boats  were  off,  and 
the  cavalry  scouts  were  advancing  along 
the  bank. 

Butler,  taking  command  of  the  whole  ad- 
vanced guard,  left  the  Staffords  at  the  head 
of  the  first  rapid,  and  directed  Colonel  Eyre 
to  make  his  camp  on  Dulka  island.  He 
then  advanced  with  Major  Flood  and  twenty 
Hussars  along  the  left  bank.  At  2.30  p.m. 
his  scouts  fell  in  with  the  enemy,  posted  on 
some  rocky  ground,  all  of  which  had  been 
patrolled  by  our  mounted  troops  on  the  5th. 


138  KIRDEKAN. 

Their  right  rested  on  the  river,  and  they 
were  dotted  about  ckmips  of  rock  com- 
manding the  track  by  which  the  cavalry 
were  advancing.  Our  men  took  up  a  posi- 
tion opposite  them  and  fired  a  few  volleys, 
which  made  them  leave  the  front  faces  of 
the  rocky  knolls,  but  they  still  held  their 
sides  and  summits.  About  4  p.m.  four  ex- 
ploring boats  arrived  by  river  just  below  the 
cavalry,  and  Butler  landed  two  boats'  crews 
and  fired  some  volleys.  Colonel  Butler  esti- 
mated those  who  had  shown  themselves  as 
about  200  in  number.  Only  about  ten  rifles 
had  opened  fire,  but  he  had  seen  many 
spear-heads.  At  the  approach  of  sunset 
Butler  retired  to  Castle  Camp,  the  enemy 
following  him  as  far  as  the  most  advanced 
position  which  he  had  held.  The  boats  fell 
back  to  Colonel  Eyre's  camp  on  Dulka 
island. 

Colonel  Butler  reported  the  position  occu- 
pied by  the  enemy  as  being  about  two  miles 
from  Colonel  Eyre's  camp  on  Dulka  island, 
with  the  river  between  ;  and  he  considered 


RECONNAISSANCE    AND    PREPARATION.       139 

that  the  Staffords  could  be  moved  to  the 
spot  where  he  engaged  the  enemy  hi  less 
than  two  hours,  and  the  Black  Watch  from 
Castle  Camp  in  six  hours.  Colonel  Butler 
said  that  he  would  cover  the  ground  for  the 
Staffords  landing  next  day  with  his  mounted 
troops,  and  then  move  the  battalion  to  the 
left  bank,  bringing  the  Black  Watch  also  to 
the  same  place,  unless  otherwise  ordered. 
He  asked  for  two  guns  to  be  sent  early 
next  day  to  Castle  Camp  ;  and  in  his  report 
stated  that  the  enemy's  right  and  rear  was 
within  easy  range  of  Dulka  island,  so  that 
guns  taken  across  the  river  by  boat,  and 
carried  about  two  miles  along  the  island, 
could  take  the  position  in  reverse.  He  sent 
his  staff  officer,  Lieutenant  Pirie,  with  the 
report. 

On  receipt  of  this  report  at  10  r.M.,  and 
after  questioning  Lieutenant  Pirie,  General 
Earle  decided  that  he  would  himself  recon- 
noitre the  position  on  the  following  day. 
He  ordered  the  two  ouns  asked  for  to  Castle 
Camp,  but  did  not  wish  them  sent  over  to 


MO  KIRBEKAN. 

Dulka  island.  He  told  Colonel  Butler  that 
he  would  leave  I3irti  at  6.30  a.m.  for  Castle 
Camp,  and  directed  that  an  officer  should 
be  left  there  to  guide  him  to  the  position 
where  he  would  find  Colonel  Butler.  He 
approved  of  the  proposal  to  move  the  Staf- 
fords  and  Black  Watch  to  the  open  ground 
in  rear  of  the  position  opposite  the  enemy 
occupied  by  the  cavalry ;  and  impressed  the 
importance  of  great  care  in  effecting  the 
crossing  of  the  Staffords,  so  that  it  should 
be  impossible  for  them  to  be  attacked  while 
landing,  in  case  the  enemy  should  advance 
and  compel  our  cavalry  to  retire. 
9tii  Feb.  On  the  morning  of  the  9th,  the  following 

instructions  were  sent  to  Colonel  Colvile  : 
the  Mudir's  troops,  after  crossing  the  river, 
were  to  take  up  a  position  out  of  rifle-range 
of  our  Birti  camp.  Headquarters  were  about 
to  advance,  but  half  a  battalion  of  the  Corn- 
walls  would  remain  at  Birti,  where  the  Gor- 
dons were  expected  to  arrive  that  day. 
Should  they  do  so,  all  our  troops  would 
clear  out  of  Birti   on   the   mornino"  of  the 


RECONNArSSANCE    AND    PREPARATION.       I4T 

roth,  and  Colonel  Colvile  should  himself 
then  join  General  Earle's  headquarters. 
Before  leaving-,  Colvile  was  to  inform  the 
Vakeel  that  he  and  the  Mudir's  troops  were 
to  remain  in  occupation  of  the  Monassir 
country  till  further  orders, — General  Earle 
relying  upon  the  Vakeel  to  obtain  and  for- 
ward to  us  supplies  of  cattle  and  grain,  to 
send  us  information  of  the  movements  and 
intentions  of  the  enemy,  and  to  forward  our 
messages  to  and  from  Abu  Dom. 

By  1 1  A.M.  the  Mudir's  troops  had  crossed 
and  bivouacked  opposite  their  former  camp. 
Shortly  after  landing,  they  found  the  moun- 
tain-gun from  Colonel  Stewart's  steamer. 
It  was  spiked,  and  the  sight,  spokes  of  one 
wheel,  and  cap-squares  were  missing. 

General  Earle's  start  from  Birti  was 
somewhat  delayed  ;  and  when  we  moved  on 
from  Castle  Camp,  the  officer  sent  to  guide 
us  unfortunately  could  not  find  the  way,  and 
lost  himself  amongst  the  rocks,  so  that  we 
did  not  reach  the  ground  where  the  Staffords 
were  to  encamp  until  nearly  mid-day. 


142  KIRBEKAN. 

Meanwliile  the  mounted  troops  had 
pushed  forward,  and  had  occupied  with 
their  advanced  posts  the  rocky  hillocks,  or 
koppies,  as  they  are  called  in  South  Africa, 
which  they  had  occupied  yesterday,  and 
found  the  enemy  still  in  the  same  position 
as  before.  Colonel  Butler  then  sent  for  the 
Staffords. 

General  Earle,  accompanied  by  his  staff, 
then  personally  examined  the  enemy's  posi- 
tion from  the  rocks  upon  which  our  cavalry 
vedettes  were  posted,  about  800  yards 
distant.  Immediately  in  front  of  us  the 
enemy  held  some  rocky  koj^pies  about  50 
to  80  feet  in  height,  their  right  being  di- 
rectly over  the  river.  Between  two  of  these 
koppies  ran  the  road  from  Birti  to  Salamat. 
We  could  see  that  they  had  built  stone 
sconces,  or  breastworks,  among  the  rocks, 
and  completely  commanded  with  their  rifles 
both  road  and  river.  They  must  clearly  be 
turned  out  of  that  before  we  could  advance 
to  Abu  Hamed. 

Running  parallel  to  the  low  rocky  koppies 


RECONNAISSANCE   AND    PREPARATION.       143 

above-named,  but  to  the  enemy's  left  rear, 
and  some  600  yards  behind  the  koppies,  and 
ending  abruptly  600  yards  from  the  river, 
was  a  very  remarkable  ridge  about  300  feet 
high,  presenting  on  the  side  next  to  us  a 
steep  slope  like  the  moraine  of  a  glacier, 
out  of  which  at  the  summit  projected  a 
ridge  of  white  marble  rocks,  as  the  teeth 
project  from  the  jawbone  of  a  skeleton. 
This  was  the  ridge  ascended  by  Colonel 
Butler  on  the  5th.  All  along  its  summit  we 
could  see  men  with  flags  and  spear-heads 
moving  about  among  the  rocks.  Still  it 
was  evident  that  these  two  positions  were 
not  capable  of  holding  a  large  body  of 
men  ;  and  we  were  disposed  to  believe  them 
held  by  an  outpost  some  300  to  400  strong, 
and  that  we  should  find  the  enemy  emerge 
in  force  from  behind  the  hills  on  our  ad- 
vancing to  attack  them. 

There  were  four  ways  of  attacking  the 
position.  First,  the  direct  attack  upon  the 
koppies,  aided  perhaps  by  flanking  fire 
from   Dulka   island.      This   would    involve 


144  KIRBEKAN. 

heavy  loss,  and  would  be  the  least  effectual, 
as  the  enemy,  when  beaten,  would  retreat 
directly  along  the  river,  through  the  broken 
ground,  to  the  Shukook  pass.  Secondly, 
an  advance  through  the  valley,  between  the 
range  of  koppies  and  the  marble-topped 
high  ridge.  This  would  turn  the  koppies  ; 
and  General  Earle  inclined  to  the  belief,  in 
which  I  shared,  that  if  once  the  enemy  in 
the  koppies  found  themselves  outflanked, 
and  liable  to  have  their  retreat  cut  off,  they 
would  retreat.  Thirdly,  to  advance  upon 
the  marble  -  topped  ridge,  and  storm  it, 
bringing  fire  from  it  to  bear  afterwards 
upon  the  koppies  below,  while  we  sent  a 
force  to  attack  them.  Fourthly,  provided 
the  country  would  lend  itself  to  the  idea, 
to  move  to  our  right  under  cover  of  the 
broken  ground,  and  march  completely  round 
the  marble-topped  ridge,  which  was  only 
about  a  mile  long,  and  move  round  its  rear 
to  the  attack  both  of  it  and  of  the  koppies. 
Colonel  Butler  was  sent  at  4  r.M.  to  make 
a  wide  detour  round  the  ridge,  and  see  if 


RECONNAISSANCE   AND    PREPARATION.       14$ 

there  was  a  fair  road  for  infantry  and  camels 
by  which  we  could  thus  turn  the  position. 
On  his  return  he  reported  that  we  could 
turn  the  position  by  an  easy  march  through 
a  wide  sandy  wady,  and  that  he  had  noted 
a  road  by  which  we  could  approach  the 
wady  from  our  camp  without  exposing  our- 
selves to  any  great  extent.  This  latter 
plan  of  advance  was  therefore  decided  up- 
on by  the  General ;  and  as  the  enemy  did 
not  appear  to  be  in  great  force,  it  was  re- 
solved to  attack  him  the  following  mornino-, 
with  such  troops  as  we  had  ready  to  our 
hand. 

Sending  over  to  Castle  Camp  for  the  two 
guns  to  come  on,  and  also  for  the  senior 
medical  officer,  with  such  assistance  as  he 
might  require,  and  having  informed  him  of 
what  was  in  contemplation,  we  then  pro- 
ceeded to  oroj-anise  the  details  for  the  mor- 
row's  fiorht. 

By  sunset  the  whole  of  the  Staffords,  with 
two  sections  of  the  field -hospital,  and  the 
headquarters  and    seven  companies  of   the 


146  ■  KIRBEKAN. 

Black  Watch,  had  reached  their  bivouac,  a 
short  mile  from  the  enemy's  position.  One 
company  of  the  Black  Watch  was  absent. 
Having  taken  the  wrong  channel,  and  been 
fired  upon  from  the  right  bank,  it  had  re- 
turned to  Castle  Camp,  and  bivouacked 
there  with  the  wing  of  the  Cornwalls,  who 
arrived  there  from  Birti,  The  two  guns 
arrived,  and  the  senior  medical  officer,  with 
his  staff  and  certain  necessary  appliances ; 
and  the  following  dispositions  for  the  attack 
were  made. 

One  company  of  the  Black  Watch,  under 
Lieut. -Colonel  Eden,  with  Major  Sand  with 
as  his  staiT  officer,  was  to  remain  in  the 
zareeba,  to  o-uard  the  boats  and  basfCfao-e. 
All  infantry  baggage  to  be  packed  in  the 
boats  by  6.30  a.m.  ;  all  other  baggage  and 
baggage-animals  to  be  parked  on  the  low 
shore,  in  front  of  the  boats.  All  headquarter 
servants,  departmental  and  unarmed  men,  to 
remain  with  the  basforaae.  The  boat  of  the 
Royal  Navy,  with  its  Catling  gun  so  dis- 
posed as  to  sweep  the  shore  and  river  up- 


RECONNAISSANCE    AND    PREPARATION.      147 

Stream,  to  be  under  Lleut.-Colonel  Eden's 
command. 

The  Staffords  and  six  companies  Black 
Watch,  with  the  two  guns,  to  parade  in  suf- 
ficient time  to  march  off  the  ground  at 
seven  o'clock.  Troops  in  red,  Highlanders 
in  kilts.  The  men  to  breakfast  before  par- 
ade, and  carry  one  day's  rations  of  meat  and 
biscuit.  All  water-bottles  to  be  full  on 
marching  off.  Each  man  to  carry  sixty 
rounds  of  ammunition,  and  each  battalion 
to  have  two  camels,  each  carrying  four 
boxes  of  reserve  ammunition,  making  4800 
rounds  of  reserve  ammunition  for  each  bat- 
talion. The  guns  to  have  two  ammunition- 
camels  for  each  gun.  Commanding  officers, 
two  wing  field-officers,  and  the  adjutant  of 
each  battalion,  to  be  mounted. 

Each  battalion  to  have  eight  stretchers 
carried  by  sixteen  of  its  unarmed  men,  with 
four  men  in  reserve  as  bearers.  A  detach- 
ment of  the  field  -  hospital,  with  three 
camels  carrying  surgical  and  hospital  equip- 
ment, to  parade  with  the  infantry ;  also  two 


148  KIRBEKAN. 

camels  to  carry  water  for  the  field  -  hos- 
pital. 

The  Hussars  and  camel  corps  to  parade 
separately  under  Colonel  Butler. 

General  Brackenbury,  Major  Boyle,  Major 
Slade,  Captain  Beaumont,  and  Lieutenant  St 
Aubyn  to  accompany  General  Earle,  All 
other  staff  officers  to  remain  with  the  bag- 
gage, except  Lieut. -Colonel  Alley ne,  who 
was  instructed  to  take  command  of  two  com- 
panies of  the  Staffords  and  the  two  guns, 
and  to  occupy  with  them  the  rocky  position 
held  yesterday  by  our  cavalry  outposts,  and 
to  hold  the  enemy  in  check  in  front,  attract- 
ing their  attention  in  that  direction  while 
our  flank  movement  was  in  progress. 

During  the  afternoon  the  enemy  opened 
fire  from  a  small  island  above  Dulka  island, 
and  one  of  their  shots  having  struck  one  of 
our  vedettes,  a  company  of  the  Staffords 
was  sent  across  in  boats  to  occupy  the 
island  and  bivouack  there.  To  reach  the 
island,   the   boats    had    to    ascend  a    nasty 


RECONNAISSANCE   AND    PREPARATION.       149 

rapid  just  opposite  our  bivouac.  All  fires 
were  put  out  at  "lights  out,"  and  it  was 
ordered  that  none  should  be  lit  before  rd- 
veilU  on  the  following  day. 

About  3  P.M.  a  telegram  arrived  from 
Lord  Wolseley  to  the  following  effect — 
dated  9  a.m.,  8th  :  The  Government  have 
decided  that  the  Mahdi's  power  at  Khar- 
toum must  be  overthrown.  This  most 
probably  means  a  campaign  here  next  cold 
weather,  and  certainly  the  retention  in  the 
Soudan  of  all  troops  now  here.  A  strong 
force  of  all  arms  goes  as  soon  as  possible  to 
Suakim  to  crush  Osman  Diorma.  We  must 
now  take  Berber.  Duller  will  now  take 
Metemmeh.  Let  me  know  early  the  date 
you  calculate  upon  reaching  Berber,  so  that 
Boiler's  force  may  co-operate  with  you. 

At  5.45  P.M.  a  long  letter  arrived  from 
Lord  Wolseley  to  General  Earle,  dated  2 
P.M.,  7th.  It  was  almost  entirely  in  cipher, 
and  I  sat  up  till  late  in  the  night  decipher- 
ing its  contents.      In  it  Lord  Wolseley  in- 


ISO  KIRBEKAN.  1 

j 

formed  General  Earle  of  the  questions  he        ' 
had  addressed  to  the  Cabinet,  the  repHes 
he  had   received,   and  his   further  queries. 
It  ampHfied   the  contents  of  his  telegram 
received  that  afternoon.     It  told  us  that  he 
had  not  yet  heard  of  Wilson's  safety ;  and 
in  it  there  was  this  sentence  :  "  I  congratu- 
late you  upon  the  progress  you  have  made, 
although    I    am    naturally    very   sorry    the       * 
enemy  have  not  tested  the  temper  of  your 
steel.     However,  let  us  hope  their  courage 
may  be  stiffened  by  the  fall  of  Khartoum, 
and    that   you    may    strike  them   hard   yet       , 
before  you  reach  Berber."     Hope  soon  to 
be  realised ! 

General  Earle  talked  this  letter  over  with 
me  until  a  very  late  hour,  and  decided  not 
to   reply  to   it  till  after  the  action  of  the       ' 
morrow.     Two   of  our  spies  came  in,  and 
professed  to  have  been  unable  to  see  any 
trace  of  the  enemy  in  the  position  they  had       i 
held  during  the  day  ;  and  we  retired  to  rest,       j 
half  fearing  they  might  again  give  us  the 


RECONNAISSANCE    AND    PREPARATION.       15 1 

slip,  as  they  had  done  ten  days  before  at 
Birti.  But  we  were  needlessly  anxious. 
We  did  not  then  know  that  their  courage 
had  been  stiffened  —  that  they  had  heard 
of  the  fall  of  Khartoum. 


152 


CHAPTER    IX. 


KIRBEKAN THE     FIGHT. 


The  night  passed  without  incident.  At 
loth  Feb.  the  earHest  dawn  our  cavalry  vedettes  w^ere 
again  in  their  position  of  yesterday,  and  as 
soon  as  the  growing  dayhght  enabled  thqm 
to  see  clearly,  they  reported  the  enemy  still 
in  position — good  news  which  soon  spread 
through  the  camp.  The  men  were  tired  of 
the  delays  caused  by  the  precautions  neces- 
sary in  the  presence  of  an  enemy  who 
escaped  just  as  we  were  within  striking 
distance ;  and  those  holding  responsible 
positions  in  the  force  felt  it  to  be  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  meet  the  enemy  soon, 
and  get  the  chance  of  teaching  them  a 
lesson   which  would  prevent  their  meeting 


THE    FIGH'r.  15, 


US  again  for  some  time,  thus  clearing  the 
way  for  our  advance  to  the  main  objective 
of  our  column — Berber. 

The  company  on  outpost-duty  at  Diilka 
island  was  recalled,  baggage  was  parked 
accordinof  to  orders,  the  naval  boat  was 
placed  in  position,  the  camels  were  loaded 
to  accompany  the  column.  The  men 
breakfasted  and  fell  in  on  parade,  looking 
smart  and  thoroughly  workmanlike.  After 
inspection,  Lieut.-Colonel  Eden's  company 
of  the  Black  Watch  was  set  to  work  form- 
ing a  small  zareeba ;  two  companies  of  the 
Staffordshire  Regiment  were  told  off  to 
escort  the  two  guns  under  Lieut.-Colonel 
Alleyne ;  and  as  soon  as  we  saw  the  dis- 
positions for  defence  of  the  zareeba  fairly 
complete,  and  Alleyne's  two  companies  and 
guns  marched  off  to  occupy  the  ground  held 
by  our  cavalry  outposts,  with  orders  not  to 
open  fire  till  we  had  reached  the  outer 
tlank  of  the  ereat  ridee  round  which  we 
were  to  move,  the  column  marched  off  It 
was  then  about  a  quarter  past  seven.     Just 


154  KIRBEKAN. 

before  we  left  the  zareeba,  General  Earle 
directed  me  to  send  back  to  inform  the 
English  correspondent  of  a  foreign  news- 
paper, who  had  made  his  way  up  with  the 
Gordon  Highlanders,  that,  owing  to  the 
necessity  for  economising  all  food  for  man 
and  beast,  and  in  view  of  all  spare  whaler 
accommodation  being  required  for  transport 
of  sick,  he  could  not  allow  any  civilian 
correspondents  to  accompany  the  column. 
We  marched  in  line  of  half-battalion 
columns,  at  an  interval  of  two  companies, 
the  Staffords  (six  companies)  leading,  the 
Black  Watch  (six  companies)  following. 
Company  stretcher-bearers  followed  their 
own  companies.  The  field-hospital  camels 
and  reserve  small-arm  ammunition  camels 
(nine  and  one  spare),  were  massed  between 
the  Staffords  and  Black  Watch,  and  moved 
with  the  left  column.  The  General's  object 
in  this  formation  was  to  enable  each  column 
to  take  advantage  of  practicable  ground  for 
marching  as  long  as  we  were  moving  over 
the  rocks,  but  at  the  same  time  to  be  able, 


THE    FIGHT.  155 

by  closing  the  columns  together,  to  get 
rapidly  into  formation  ready  to  form  square, 
or  rather  oblong,  with  the  stretcher-bearers 
and  camels  inside. 

Colonel  Butler  led  the  column.  The 
first  mile  of  our  road  lay  in  a  north-easterly 
direction  over  broken  but  hard  ground ; 
then  we  reached  a  wide  wady  of  loose 
deep  sand,  in  which  progress  was  slow 
and  fatiguing,  and  followed  It  till  we 
reached  the  farthest  end  of  the  marble- 
topped  ridge.  We  then,  at  about  half-past 
eight,  halted  for  a  few  minutes,  allowing  a 
few  men  to  fall  out.  Not  a  shot  had  been 
fired  at  us  as  yet,  though  our  column  must 
have  been  visible  from  the  rido-e  at  more 
than  one  point  In  its  march.  While  here 
we  heard  Alleyne's  guns  open  fire. 

Our  front  as  we  marched  had  been 
covered  by  the  cavalry ;  our  left  flank  by 
the  Egyptian  camel  corps,  who  lined  the 
edge  of  the  broken  ground  opposite  to  the 
high  ridge.  Colonel  Butler  now  went  on 
with  the  cavalry  scouts,  and  just  as  we  were 


156  KIRBEKAN. 

about  to  continue  our  march,  sent  back  to 
say  that  the  enemy  were  in  sight  on  some 
low  rocky  hills,  to  the  number  of  two  or 
three  hundred,  and  immediately  afterwards 
a  second  message  to  say  the  enemy  were 
retirino-.  We  now  marched  round  the 
eastern  end  of  the  ridge,  and  turning  sharp 
to  the  left,  marched  through  a  rocky  valley 
in  the  direction  of  the  river,  with  the  high 
ridge  on  our  left.  In  front  of  us  was  a  low 
rocky  range  running  at  right  angles  to  the 
high  ridge  on  which  Colonel  Butler  had 
seen  the  enemy.  The  enemy  now  opened 
fire  on  us  from  the  high  rido-e  at  about 
9.15  A.M.,  and  we  had  two  or  three  men  hit. 
General  Earle,  after  a  short  farther  advance, 
halted  the  column  under  cover,  and  sent 
forward  one  company  of  the  Staffords  to 
the  low  range  in  front,  and  another  com- 
pany (C)  to  line  the  rocks  on  our  left,  and 
keep  clown  the  fire  from  the  high  ridge. 
The  enemy  not  appearing  immediately  in 
front,  the  column  advanced  about  300 
yards  into   a  valley   with   rocky   ridges   on 


THE    FIGHT.  157 

every  side,  leaving  C  Company  of  the 
Staffords  engaged  with  the  enemy  on  the 
high  ridsfe.  The  fire  from  this  ridg-e  now 
becoming  hotter,  General  Earle  directed 
Colonel  Eyre  to  take  two  companies  of  his 
reoriment  and  endeavour  to  take  the  rido-e 

o  o 

by  its  western  shoulder.  They  advanced 
under  a  heavy  fire,  and  climbed  about  one 
third  of  the  way  up  the  shoulder,  till  they 
reached  a  cluster  of  rocks  under  which  they 
obtained  partial  shelter. 

At  the  same  time  two  companies  of  the 
Black  Watch  descended  the  rocky  ridge  to 
our  right  front,  from  whence  the  river  was 
visible  about  six  hundred  yards  away;  and 
we  could  see  parties  of  the  enemy  making 
their  way  to  it,  and  swimming  over  to  the 
opposite  bank.  It  being  then  evident  that 
the  only  serious  opposition  we  had  to  expect 
was  from  the  enemy  remaining  on  the  high 
marble-topped  ridge,  and  on  the  koppies, 
whence  fire  was  now  opened  on  us,  General 
Earle  ordered  two  companies  of  the  Black 
Watch  to  move  to  their  rioht  front  towards 


IS8  KIRBEKAN. 

the  river -bank,  and  establish  themselves 
there,  so  as  to  prevent  all  retreat  in  this 
direction ;  and  the  three  remaining  com- 
panies of  the  Staffords  and  the  four  re- 
maining companies  of  the  Black  Watch  to 
advance  and  swing  round  to  the  left,  so  as 
to  face  the  koppies. 

It  now  became  evident,  from  the  fire 
which  was  directed  upon  us  from  the 
koppies,  that  the  enemy  had  a  considerable 
body  of  riflemen  in  position  there,  and  the 
two  companies  of  the  Black  Watch  which 
had  been  sent  down  to  the  river  were 
ordered  to  advance  in  line  along  the  river- 
bank  towards  the  koppies,  clearing  it  of  the 
enemy. 

The  remainder  of  the  Black  Watch  and 
Staffords  took  up  a  position  on  the  rocks,  at 
about  800  yards,  and  brought  a  heavy  fire 
to  bear  upon  the  koppies.  Little  by  little 
they  advanced  from  one  vantage-point  to 
another,  till  they  attained  a  position  on  the 
nearest  rocks  to  the  koppies,  about  400 
yards    distant.       Between    them    and    the 


THE    FIGHT.  159 

koppies  there  was  now  only  open  ground, 
swept  by  the  enemy's  fire. 

General  Earle  now  ordered  the  two 
companies  of  the  Black  Watch  nearest  the 
river,  who  had  by  this  time  come  up  abreast 
of  our  main  position,  to  advance  along  the 
shore  of  the  low  Nile,  under  cover  of  the 
high  bank,  and  take  the  koppie  nearest  the 
river  from  its  river  flank.  A  company 
of  the  Staffords  accompanied  them,  and 
advancing  rapidly  under  cover  of  the  river- 
bank,  they  seized  the  lowest  rocks  and  then 
the  summit  of  this  koppie,  driving  out  or 
killing  the  rebels  who  were  there.  Some 
of  these  attempted  flight  by  the  river  in  the 
direction  of  Colonel  Alleyne's  men  and  our 
zareeba ;  a  few  escaped  by  swimming,  but 
many  were  shot  down  by  our  men.  From 
the  summit  of  this  koppie  now  in  our  hands, 
a  flanking  fire  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
two  main  central  koppies. 

It  was  now  evident  that  nothings  more 
was  to  be  clone  but  to  assault  the  position, 
and  the  order  was  about  to  be  given  when 


l6o  KIRBEKAN. 

a  body  of  the  enemy,  one  of  whom  carried         \ 
a  flag,  the  rest  being  armed  with    spears, 
descended  boldly  from  the  heights  in  front,         j 
and  charged  towards  the  nearest  companies 
of  the  Black  Watch,  which  were  somewhat 
advanced    towards    our    left    front,    under         ; 
Colonel  Green.     The  troops  never  moved,         i 
but  the    orallant  Arabs  were  received  with         i 
so  witherine  a  fire  from  all  sides  that  those 
who  were  not  killed  turned  and  fled  towards         j 
the  river.     A  few  gained  it.     Our  men,  far         j 
from  fearing  the  rush,  stood  up  to  meet  it, 
in   some   cases    even    advanced ;    and   they 
could    with    difficulty   be    restrained    from 
leaving   the    ranks    to  follow   the  fugitives 
alonof  the  river. 

This  episode  over,  the  order  for  the 
assault  was  given,  and  well  responded  to. 
I  had  myself  previously  carried  the  orders 
to  the  troops  on  the  koppie  by  the  river 
to  advance  simultaneously  with  the  front 
assault,  and  had  returned  to  General  Earle 
to  the  front  of  the  position  previous  to  the  , 
enemy's    charge.      General    Earle    ordered 


THE    FIGHT.  l6l 

the  assault  to  be  made;  and  then,  with  pipes 
playing,  the  Black  Watch  charged  over  the 
open  ground  and  stormed  the  koppies,  not 
stopping  till  they  had  crowned  the  highest 
rocks.  The  troops  on  the  river-side  koppie 
also  well  carried  out  their  orders,  advanc- 
ing from  the  flank  and  seizing  the  koppie 
nearest  to  them.  Such  of  the  enemy  as 
still  remained  fought  to  the  last,  and  were 
killed  to  a  man. 

The  assault  was  over,  and  the  two  main 
koppies  were  in  our  hands  ;  the  troops  were 
searching  the  sconces  and  holes  among  the 
rocks  ;  and  there  was,  as  there  must  always 
be  after  such  an  effort,  some  need  to  collect 
them  and  form  them  up  for  fresh  work. 
Between  the  crests  of  the  two  main  koppies 
there  was  a  depression  forming  a  small  flat 
plateau,  on  which  was  built  a  stone  hut 
some  ten  feet  square,  with  a  thatched  roof. 
General  Earle  was  engaged  in  forming  up 
the  men  in  the  ranks  on  this  plateau,  not 
more  than  ten  yards  from  the  hut,  when  a 
sergeant  of  the  Black  Watch  said,  "  There 


l62  KIRBEKAN. 

are  a  lot  of  men  in  that  hut,  and  they  have 
just  shot  one  of  our  men."  General  Earle 
ordered  the  roof  to  be  set  on  fire ;  but  on 
its  being  said  that  there  was  a  quantity 
of  ammunition  in  the  hut,  he  ordered  the 
roof  to  be  pulled  down,  and  himself  ap- 
proached the  hut.  I  was  close  to  him,  and 
said,  "  Take  care,  sir ;  the  hut  is  full  of 
men."  Our  men  had  set  the  roof  on  fire, 
and  my  attention  was  attracted  for  a  mo- 
ment by  seeing  a  native  who  rushed  out  from 
the  side  door  of  the  hut  bayoneted  by  one 
of  our  men.  As  I  turned  my  head  back 
towards  the  General,  I  saw  him  fall,  shot 
through  the  head  from  a  small  square  win- 
dow in  the  hut,  close  to  which  he  had  ap- 
proached. He  lived  only  a  few  minutes, 
tended  to  the  last  by  his  aide-de-camp 
Lieutenant  St  Aubyn,  and  by  the  senior 
medical  officer,   Surgeon-Major  Harvey. 

The  command  having  now  devolved 
upon  me,  I  directed  two  companies  of  the 
Black  Watch  to  remain  as  a  picket  on  the 
koppies ;   and  I    had   sent  to  the  Staffords 


THE    FIGHT.  163 

with  a  view  to  assembling  them,  when  it 
was  brought  to  my  knowledge  that  the  two 
companies  of  the  Staffords  sent  to  take  the 
high  ridge  had  failed  as  yet  to  reach  higher 
than  the  cluster  of  rocks  about  one-third  of 
the  way  up  ;  that  Colonel  Eyre  had  been 
killed,  shot  through  the  heart ;  that  Captain 
Horsburgh  and  Lieutenant  Colborne  had 
been  severely  wounded  ;  that  their  loss  in 
men  had  been  considerable ;  that  their  am- 
munition was  exhausted,  except  four  rounds 
per  man,  which  they  had  reserved  ;  and  that 
the  enemy  was  still  holding  the  ridge.  As- 
sembling, therefore,  four  companies  of  the 
Black  Watch  as  a  reserve  at  the  foot  of  the 
koppies,  I  sent  for  Lieutenant-Colonel  Beale, 
upon  whom  the  command  of  the  Staffords 
had  devolved,  and  instructed  him  to  take 
the  remainder  of  his  regiment,  reinforce  the 
two  companies  on  the  hill  with  troops  and 
ammunition,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  com- 
pany left  to  watch  the  hill  early  in  the  day, 
assault  and  take  the  position.  The  order 
was  most  admirably  carried  out.     Ascend- 


1 64  KIRBEKAN. 

ing  the  steep  moraine-like  hill  by  alternate 
rushes,  the  Staffords  reached  the  rocky 
summit,  and  bayoneted  the  enemy,  who 
remained  there  fighting  to  the  very  end. 

It  was  now  about  one  o'clock,  and  the 
enemy  were  driven  from  their  last  position. 
Meanwhile,  early  in  the  day,  Colonel  But- 
ler, with  the  few  Hussars  at  his  disposal,  had 
struck  the  river  above  the  point  where  we 
first  gained  it,  and  had  pursued  scattered 
groups  of  Arabs  who  were  retreating  along 
the  main  river  track.  Half  an  hour  later 
he  o-ained  the  entrance  to  the  Shukook 
pass,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  rocky  gorge 
there  came  upon  the  enemy's  deserted 
camp,  where  he  captured  a  number  of 
standards,  and  some  camels  and  donkeys. 
While  there  the  enemy  opened  fire  upon 
the  Hussars  from  the  surrounding  hills,  but 
without  causing  any  casualties  among  our 
men.  Colonel  Butler  sent  back  for  camel- 
men  to  drive  in  the  animals  captured  :  the 
message  did  not  reach  me  till  after  the 
fight,  and  the  camel  corps  having  then  been 


THE    FIGHT.  165 

fighting  for  the  whole  morning,  I  instructed 
Colonel  Butler  to  return  with  the  cavalry 
to  camp.  He  had  already  anticipated  this 
order,  driving  back  some  of  the  animals 
with  the  Hussars. 

The  Egyptian  camel  corps  under  Major 
Marriott  had  done  excellent  service.  They 
had  at  the  commencement  of  the  day  taken 
up  a  position  in  front  of  the  high  ridge,  and 
protected  the  flank  of  the  infantry  in  its 
advance.  In  that  position  they  remained 
throughout  the  day,  assisting  by  their  fire 
to  keep  down  the  fire  from  the  heights,  and 
shooting,  or  in  some  instances  pursuing  and 
capturing,  the  rebels  who  attempted  to 
escape  towards  the  east,  along  the  southern 
slope  of  the  hill.  Their  conduct  was  wit- 
nessed by  the  Staffords,  who  remained  so 
long  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  hill,  and  was 
the  theme  of  much  praise.  When  the  Staf- 
fords stormed  the  hill  one  Egyptian  soldier 
charged  up  the  hill,  all  alone,  on  their  ex- 
treme right — a  most  gallant  feat.  They 
had  two  men  killed  and  one  wounded. 


l66  KIRBEKAN. 

Leaving,  as  already  said,  two  companies 
of  the  Black  Watch  on  the  summit  of  the 
koppies,  and  sending-  two  companies  to 
bivouac  on  a  high  Nile  island  at  the  head 
of  the  rapid,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  up  the 
river,  I  ordered  the  remainder  of  the  troops 
back  to  camp. 

During-  the  action  the  wounded  had  been 
collected,  as  far  as  possible,  by  the  stretcher- 
bearers  into  groups  under  shelter  from  fire  ; 
dressing-stations  had  been  established  at 
successive  points  as  we  moved  on  ;  and 
restoratives,  such  as  beef-tea  prepared  on 
the  field,  champagne,  and  brandy,  were  ad- 
ministered to  the  wounded  during  and  after 
the  action.  Owing  to  the  nature  of  the 
eround,  both  medical  officers  and  wounded 
had  been  frequently  exposed  to  considerable 
cross-fire.  The  medical  officers  of  corps 
had  accompanied  their  men  into  action,  and 
the  medical  officers  of  the  dressinor-station 
gave  their  services  freely  wherever  most 
required.  As  soon  as  the  action  was  over, 
additional   men  were  told  off  as  stretcher- 


THE    FIGHT.  167 

bearers,  and  the  wounded  were  brought 
into  our  camp.  The  bodies  of  General 
Earle,  Colonel  Eyre,  and  Colonel  Coveney, 
were  conveyed  back  to  our  camp  ;  the  other 
brave  dead  were  buried  together  by  the 
river-bank,  near  the  field  where  they  had 
fallen. 

At  sunset  the  bodies  of  General  Earle, 
Colonel  Eyre,  and  Colonel  Coveney  were 
buried  side  by  side  in  deep  graves  near  the 
foot  of  a  solitary  palm-tree  ;  and  the  hill  of 
Kirbekan  echoed  back  the  boom  of  the 
minute-guns  paying  their  solemn  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  three  soldiers,  each  a  type 
of  what  the  English  officer  should  be. 

Orders  were  then  issued  for  the  half- 
battalion  of  the  Cornwalls,  which  had  ar- 
rived in  camp  during  the  day,  together  with 
the  two  companies  of  the  Staffords  and  the 
two  companies  of  the  Black  Watch  which 
had  not  been  encracred  in  the  Hank  march, 
to  advance  by  river  in  the  morning,  and 
occupy  the  position  at  the  head  of  the 
rapid,    relieving  the  two  companies  of  the 


l68  KIRBEKAN. 

Black  Watch  there,  and  for  the  remainder 
of  the  Cornwalls  who  had  reached  Castle 
Camp  to  come  on  to  our  camp.  I  wished 
now  to  put  the  Cornwalls  and  Gordons  in 
front ;  but  the  latter,  to  my  disappointment, 
had  not  got  farther  than  Birti,  their  progress 
throuo-h  the  northern  channel  of  the  Ra- 
hami  cataract  having  been,  owing  to  the 
falling  Nile,  slower  than  that  of  the  other 
troops  who  had  traversed  the  same  passage. 
They  were  ordered  to  come  on  as  soon  as 
possible. 

It  was  a  busy  night.  There  was  much  to 
be  thouo'ht  of  and  arrano-ed.  I  sent  off  a 
telegraphic  summary  and  a  written  despatch, 
and  a  letter  to  Lord  Wolseley,  in  which  I 
said,  "Our  troops  having  turned  them  out 
of  these  positions,  must  have  a  great  effect 
upon  the  spirit  of  the  enemy.  I  sincerely 
trust  it  may  prevent  our  having  to  fight 
our  way  to  Abu  Hamed,  as  if  we  have 
many  such  fights  as  to-day,  we  shall  be 
seriously  embarrassed  how  to  carry  on  our 


THE    FIGHT.  169 

wounded.  If  it  enables  us  to  pass  the 
Shukook  pass,  which  is  still  before  us,  and 
to  get  through  the  rapids  ahead  without 
more  fitrhtinof,  it  will  indeed  be  a  valuable 
day  for  us." 

We  had  not  purchased  our  victory  cheaply. 
General  Earle,  Colonel  Eyre,  Colonel  Cove- 
ney,  and  nine  men  killed  ;  four  officers  and 
forty-four  men  wounded,  made  a  total  of 
sixty, — a  serious  loss  in  our  little  force  of 
twelve  hundred.  It  had  been  most  difficult 
to  estimate  either  the  enemy's  strength  or 
his  loss  with  accuracy.  I  do  not  believe  that 
when  we  marched  to  attack  the  position  there 
were  more  than  about  eight  hundred  men 
holding  it.  Half  of  these  made  their  escape 
before  we  attacked  ;  a  few  more  during  the 
fight.  The  remainder  were  simply  desperate 
men,  resolved  to  hght  to  the  last,  and  to 
sell  their  lives  clearly.  They  were  in  what 
might  fairly  have  been  called  an  impregnable 
position,  and  they  were  thoroughly  well 
armed, — a  position  out  of  which  they  could 


I/O  KIRBEKAN. 

not  have  been  dislodged  by  any  but  first- 
rate  troops.  We  have  all  heard  of  "  a  posi- 
tion which  ten  men  could  hold  against  a 
thousand."  I  honestly  confess  that  the 
expression  conve)'s  exactly  what  was  in  my 
mind  when  first  I  saw  the  hills  we  had  to 
attack. 

In  my  despatch  written  that  night,  I  gave 
the  probable  loss  of  the  enemy  as  not  less 
than  a  hundred  and  fifty.  This  I  altered 
to  two  hundred  after  oroinof  over  the  orround 
next  day  with  Colonel  Butler.  We  counted 
sixty  dead  bodies  on  the  main  koppies, 
sixty-five  on  the  razor-backed  ridge  ;  others 
were  lying  below  ;  there  were  many  whom 
we  could  not  have  seen  ;  many  had  been 
shot  crossing  the  river  :  and  I  am  satisfied 
now  that  the  larorer  ficjure  does  not  over- 
State  the  enemy's  loss. 

Not  less  valuable  than  the  effect  of  this 
action  upon  the  enemy's  morale  was  its 
effect  upon  the  spirits  of  our  own  men.  It 
inspired  them  with  great  confidence.     The 


f^         MUCH    SKETCH    Of  ^  ' 

OROUNO    AT  K1RB£KAN  ,  j«r*m,i»«4 


d- 


( 


siv^    ./ 


~*«^^p^ 


ritish    '  "*  /JT-^Ac Flojik- March, 


wmmwm 


..p•fs»<^ 


THE    FIGHT.  171 

idea  that  unless  in  square  formation  they 
could  not  stand  aci^ainst  Arabs  had  been  to 
a  certain  extent  prevalent  :  to-day  the  troops 
had  learnt  that  they  could  beat  their  enemy 
in  hand-to-hand  combats  in  the  rocks,  fight- 
ing in  loose  order. 


172 


CHAPTER    X. 


THE     SHUKOOK     PASS. 


nth  Feb.  On  the  moming  of  the  iith,  the  troops 
began  to  pass  through  the  troublesome 
rapid  commencing  opposite  our  camp,  and 
a  wing  of  the  Cornwalls,  two  companies 
of  the  Black  Watch,  and  two  of  the  Staf- 
fords  —  all  troops  which  had  not  been  en- 
gaged on  the  previous  day  —  reached  the 
high  Nile  island  at  Kirbekan,  and  camped 
there,  relieving  the  companies  of  the  Black 
Watch  who  had  bivouacked  there  the  pre- 
ceding night.  The  mounted  troops  covered 
the  advance,  and  Butler  reconnoitred  to 
the  entrance  of,  and  some  distance  into,  the 
Shukook  pass,  seeing  no  sign  of  any  enemy. 
The  other  wing  of  the  Cornwalls,  the  artil- 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  173 

lery  and  convoy,  arrived  in  our  camp  oppo- 
site Dulka  island,  and  the  Gordons  reached 
Castle  Camp. 

Now  was  the  time  when  a  strono-  force  of 
cavalry  would  have  been  invaluable.  To 
push  on  after  the  enemy  with  cavalry,  and 
at  once  seize  and  hold  the  upper  end  of  the 
Shukook  pass,  before  he  could  rally  from 
his  defeat,  was  the  proper  course  to  pursue. 
It  could  not  be  done  with  infantry,  for 
the  infantry  were  tied  to  their  boats,  and 
every  man  who  marched  a  yard  beyond  his 
boat,  had  to  be  marched  back  again  to  it 
sooner  or  later.  As  for  mounted  troops, 
all  that  could  be  spared,  after  leaving  the 
strictly  necessary  guards  with  the  main 
camp,  the  artillery  and  convoy,  were  about 
sixty  Hussars,  and  forty  to  fifty  of  the  Egyp- 
tian camel  corps  ;  and  to  push  on  so  small 
a  force  to  encamp  at  the  far  side  of  this 
long  and  difficult  pass  without  any  infantry 
support,  would  have  been  to  court  disaster. 
The  mounted  troops,  therefore,  fell  back  to 
the  bivouac  at  Kirbekan. 


174  THE    SHUKOOK    PASS. 

Slade  examined  nine  prisoners  whom  we 
had  taken  in  the  action  of  yesterday,  and 
reported  that,  from  their  statements,  the 
enemy  who  had  held  the  position  consisted 
of  400  men  of  the  Robatab  tribe,  under 
Sheikh  Moussa  Wad  Abu  Hegel  ;  200  men 
from  Berber,  under  Sheikh  Ali  Wad  Hus- 
sein and  Hamid  Lekalik,  cousin  and  brother 
respectively  of  Abdul  Majid  Wad  el  Leka- 
lik; 300  of  the  Monassir  tribe,  under  Sheikh 
el  Hagid  ;  and  several  slaves  and  villagers 
from  their  lands, — making  a  total  of  about 
1500  to  2000  men,  of  whom  the  Robatab 
and  Berber  men  alone  had  held  the  position 
so  stoutly  defended.  All  the  sheikhs  above- 
named,  with  the  exception  of  El  Hagid, 
were  killed  during  the  action,  Moussa's 
body  having  been  identified  by  one  of  the 
prisoners.  The  main  camp  of  the  enemy 
was  at  the  upper  end  of  the  Shukook  pass, 
the  camp  taken  by  our  mounted  troops  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  pass  being  only  an 
advanced  post.  The  prisoners  stated  that 
neither  Suleiman    Wad    Gamr   nor    Abdul 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  175 

Majid  Wad  el  Lekalik  had  been  present  at 
the  action,  the  former  being  at  Salamat,  the 
latter  at  the  main  camp.  They  said  that 
their  losses  had  been  very  heavy,  only 
those  who  escaped  by  swimming  the  river 
having  been  saved.  They  all  agreed  in 
stating  that  after  the  enemy  left  Birti,  they 
had  retired  to  the  spot  where  the  main 
camp  now  was,  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
Shukook  pass,  and  that  they  had  returned 
and  occupied  the  position  at  Kirbekan  on 
the  6th,  strengthening  the  position  by  rein- 
forcements from  the  main  camp  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  9th. 

At  the  Vakeel's  request  we  sent  two  of 
our  prisoners  to  be  examined  by  him  at 
Birti,  he  thinking  that  he  would  get  more 
information  out  of  them  than  we  could. 
His  report  practically  confirmed  Slade's  : 
he  estimated  the  numbers  present  at  2000, 
and  the  killed  at  700.  He  expressed  his 
opinion  that  we  should  meet  with  no  more 
opposition  till  we  reached  Berber. 

The   prisoners   also   said    that   they  had 


176  THE    SHUKOOK    PASS. 

heard  there  were  2000  men  under  Hassan 
Wad  Mahommed  at  Abu  Hamed,  consisting 
of  Ababdeh  and  Robatab  men,  and  men 
from  Berber.  They  had  converted  the  Gov- 
ernment shoona  (grain-store)  into  a  barrack : 
it  is  in  the  middle  of  the  town,  five  hundred 
yards  from  the  river,  and  has  a  mud  wall 
ten  to  twelve  feet  high,  and  two  feet  thick. 
They  had  constructed  no  other  defences. 

A  spy  who  had  been  sent  from  Korti  to 
Berber  arrived  in  our  camp,  according  to 
his  orders,  on  his  way  back  to  Korti.  He 
had  left  Berber  about  a  week  before.  This 
was  his  account  of  the  state  of  affairs  there. 
The  gfuns  which  had  been  on  the  left  bank 
at  Robush  had  been  removed — one  to  Me- 
temmeh,  and  one  to  the  right  bank  at  Ber- 
ber. Mohammed  el  Kheir  had  moved  his 
own  property  across  the  river  to  the  right 
bank.  Many  Berber  men  had  been  killed 
in  the  fight  at  Abu  Klea,  and  the  news  of 
that  fight  had  spread  terror  through  the 
town.  Most  of  the  men  now  at  Berber 
were  Magrafaab  Jaalins.     The  Hadendowas 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  177 

and  the  Bisharin  Arabs  from  the  Atbara 
had  been  asked  to  come  and  fight  the  Eng- 
Hsh,  but  had  refused.  Nour  Anga,  the 
governor  of  Metemmeh,  had  sent  to  the 
Mahdi  for  ammunition,  but  it  had  been 
refused  to  him.  The  gun  at  Berber  was 
out  of  order.  Food  was  scarce  in  Berber, 
and  the  spy  professed  himself  convinced 
that,  when  the  EngHsh  approached,  the 
Jaalins  between  Berber  and  Metemmeh 
would  surrender. 

By  this  time  I  had  learnt  by  experience 
that  native  reports  might  generally  be 
classed  under  two  heads  :  those  of  spies, 
who  said  what  they  thought  we  should 
like  to  hear ;  and  those  of  professed  desert- 
ers, which  were  intended  to  frighten  us. 
We  had  constantly  heard  from  our  spies 
that  the  tribes  were  frightened ;  that  the 
Mahdi's  troops  were  deserting  him  ;  that 
this  tribe  and  that  had  refused  to  join  him  ; 
that  the  enemy  would  not  fight,  but  join  us 
when  we  advanced.  Of  these  this  spy's 
account  was  a  specimen.     We  as  constantly 

u 


178  THE    SHUKOOK    PASS. 

heard  from  men  who  came  to  us,  profess- 
ing to  be  deserters,  greatly  exaggerated 
accounts  of  the  enemy's  numbers  and  deter- 
mination to  fight.  Of  these,  the  deserter 
who  had  come  in  to  our  camp  at  Mishami 
was  a  specimen.  In  fact,  the  only  infor- 
mation of  value  was  what  our  own  recon- 
naissance told  us,  and  what  was  supplied 
to  us  through  Colvile  by  the  Vakeel. 

That  evening  Colonel  Butler  rode  back 
to  my  camp,  bringing  with  him  an  Arabic 
document.  It  had  been  found,  he  told 
me,  by  a  private  of  the  Cornwalls  in  the 
saddle-bag  of  a  donkey,  which  was  found 
grazing  on  the  bank  near  the  Kirbekan 
camp.  There  being  a  very  strict  column- 
order  that  all  papers  of  every  description 
found  anywhere  were  to  be  preserved  and 
sent  to  the  intelligence  officer,  this  paper 
had  been  kept  for  that  purpose.  But  in 
the  meantime  it  had  been  shown  to  the 
interpreter  of  the  battalion,  and  rumour 
had  spread  through  the  camp  that  Khar- 
toum   had    been   taken  and   Gordon  killed. 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  179 

I  sent  for  my  interpreter  and  translator, 
who  spoke  and  wrote  French  but  not 
Enghsh,  On  my  showing  him  the  paper, 
and  asking  him  what  it  contained,  he  an- 
swered :  "  Tres  mauvaises  nouvelles  ;  il  dit 
que  le  Mahdi  a  pris  Khartoum,  et  que 
Gordon  a  ete  tue."  I  made  him  translate 
it,  and  from  his  translation  I  again  made 
the  following  version,  which  I  at  once  sent 
to  Abu  Dom  to  be  telegraphed  to  Lord 
Wolseley  : — 

Copy  of  a  letter  received  from  tJic  Govei-iior-Gcneral 
of  Berber  to  the  Governor  of  the  Seetion. 
"  In  the  name  of  God,  &c.,  from  Mohammed  el 
Kheir,  Abdullah  Khogeali,  Emir-General  of  Ber- 
ber, to  his  friend,  Abdul  Majid  Wad  el  Lekalik, 
and  all  his  men. —  I  inform  }'ou  that  to-day  after 
the  mid-day  prayer  we  received  a  letter  from  the 
faithful  Khalifc  Abdullah  Eben  Mohammed,  in 
which  he  tells  us  that  Khartoum  was  taken  on 
Monday  the  ninth  Rabi  1302,  on  the  side  of  El 
Hanoi,  in  the  following  manner.  The  Mahdi 
(pra)-  upon  (/rzV.o'  snr)  him,  his  dervishes,  and  his 
troops)  advanced  against  the  fortifications,  and 
entered  Khartoum  in  a  quarter  of  an  h(nir.  They^ 
killed    the    traitor  {te  perfide)  Gordon,   and   cap- 


l8o  THE    SHUKOOK    PASS. 

turcd  the  steamers  and  boats.  God  has  made 
him  glorious  ;  be  grateful,  and  thank  and  praise 
God  for  His  unspeakable  mercy.  I  announce  it 
to  you.     Tell  your  troops." 

The  document  was  dated  the  thirteenth 
Rabi,  and  on  it  was  written,  "  Received, 
Friday  the  twentieth   Rabi." 

Comparing  these  dates  with  the  '  Soudan 
Almanac'  prepared  in  the  IntelHgence 
Department  in  London,  we  found  that  the 
letter  announced  the  fall  of  Khartoum  to 
have  taken  place  on  Monday  the  26th  Jan- 
uary ;  it  had  been  written  at  Berber  on  the 
30th  January,  and  received  at  the  Shukook 
pass  on  Friday  the  6th  February.  Now 
we  understood  why  the  enemy  had  returned 
on  that  day  to  Kirbekan,  and  what  had 
stiffened  their  courage. 
i2th  Feb.  On  the  I  2th  the  wing-  of  the  Cornwalls 
at  Kirbekan  camp  advanced  about  a  mile 
through  the  rapids  to  the  mouth  of  a  broad 
wady — probably  one  of  the  many  branches 
of  the  Wady  el  Argu,  which  runs  across 
the  desert  from   Kirbekan  to  Abu  Egli,  on 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  l8l 

the  Nile  above  Berber;  and  the  wing  at 
Dulka  camp  closed  up  upon  them,  the  last 
boat  arriving  at  4  r.M.  It  would  have  been 
impossible  to  advance  a  whole  battalion 
farther,  and  it  was  not  desirable  to  move 
a  small  force  in  boats  into  the  rocky 
reaches  of  the  Shukook  until  those  reaches 
were  examined,  and  the  pass  itself  recon- 
noitred to  its  farthest  end,  so  that  we  might 
ascertain  what  lay  behind,  and  whether  the 
pass  itself  was  clear.  We  were  evidently 
now  about  to  become  entangled  in  a  long 
rocky  pass  both  by  road  and  river. 

The  Engineers  and  royal  naval  boat, 
with  two  sections  of  field-hospital,  accom- 
panied the  Cornwalls.  The  Staffords  closed 
up  at  Kirbekan ;  and  three  companies  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  Wady  el  Argu  camp, 
but  not  till  very  late.  Five  companies, 
with  two  companies  Black  Watch,  remained 
at  Kirbekan,  and  the  Gordons  closed  up  to 
our  camp  opposite  Dulka  island.  Owing 
to  the  shallowness  of  the  water,  and  their 
boats   being  very  heavily  laden,   they  had 


1 82  THE    SHUKOOK    PASS. 

been  obliged  to  abandon  three  boats  on 
their  way  up  from   Hamdab. 

Alleyne  reconnoitred  a  mile  and  a  half 
up  stream,  from  Wady  el  Argu  to  the  foot 
of  a  very  swift  rapid,  which  he  reported 
must  be  tracked  up ;  and  Butler  reconnoi- 
tred with  the  mounted  troops,  making  a 
wide  cast  out  into  the  desert,  and  returning 
through  the  Shukook  pass,  without  finding 
any  signs  of  the  enemy.  He  found  a  site 
for  a  camp  at  the  mouth  of  a  wady  in  the 
Shukook  pass,  not  far  from  Jebel  Shu- 
kook, the  mountain  which  is  the  one  con- 
spicuous feature  in  the  mass  of  rugged 
rocks  here  piled  together,  and  returned  to 
the  bivouac  at  Wady  el  Argu.  Orders  were 
therefore  issued  for  an  advance  to  the  Shu- 
kook camp  on  the  following  day. 

In  the  morning  I  had  received  a  tele- 
gram, addressed  to  General  Earle  by  the 
Chief  of  the  Staff,  dated  the  Qtli.  It  in- 
formed me  that  the  Government  had  de- 
cided that  we  were  to  stay  in  the  Soudan 
till   the    Mahdi's   power   at    Khartoum   was 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  183 

destroyed.  If  we  could  not  do  this  before 
the  hot  weather,  we  must  wait  until  autumn. 
Duller  had  left  Gakdul  on  the  8th  for 
Gubat,  and  would  take  Metemmeh  as  soon 
as  the  Royal  Irish  reached  Gubat.  It  was 
assumed  that  I  could  reach  Berber  on  the 
28th  February,  or  have  reported  my  prox- 
imity to  it.  Duller  would  be  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, w^ith  four  or  six  guns  and  about 
1500  men,  on  the  left  bank.  If  I  did  not 
think  I  could  reach  Berber  by  that  date, 
I  was  to  name  a  date,  in  order  that  Buller 
might  meet  me  and  co-operate  in  the  attack 
on  Berber.  The  desert  road  to  Gubat 
would  be  held,  and  a  garrison  left  there, 
with  a  view  to  subsequent  operations  of  the 
united  columns  against  Khartoum,  if,  as  all 
native  report  declared  to  be  the  case,  Gor- 
don was  still  holding  out.  I  was  therefore 
to  push  forward  with  all  possible  speed  com- 
patible with  safety.  I  was  to  leave  a  garri- 
son of  200  men  at  Abu  Hamed,  instead  of 
300  as  previously  ordered,  with  250  rounds 
of  ammunition    per   man,   and    sixty   days' 


l84  THE    SHUKOOK    PASS. 

provisions.  The  telegram  further  contained 
orders  as  to  the  precautions  to  be  taken  by 
the  commandant  of  the  garrison,  and  other 
matters  not  necessary  to  detail. 

To  this  telegram  I  replied  that  I  did  not 
think  it  possible  to  reach  Berber  by  the 
28th  February,  and  that  any  date  given 
must  be  pure  conjecture,  the  time  being 
dependent  upon  condition  of  unknown 
rapids  and  unknown  movements  of  the 
enemy.  I  said  it  was  impossible  to  pass 
more  than  one  battalion  a-day  through  the 
rapids  here  ;  and  if  the  enemy  were  holding 
the  Shukook,  I  must  again  concentrate  the 
whole  or  part  of  my  force.  When  we 
reached  Salamat,  I  should  be  able  to  give 
an  approximate  date  for  reaching  Abu  Ha- 
med,  and  at  that  place  an  approximate  date 
for  reaching  Berber.  Now  I  could  only 
say  I  did  not  think  we  could  reach  the 
latter  place  under  one  month  from  this 
date  (i2th  February).  I  intended  to  cross 
over  my  mounted  troops  and  transport  be- 
fore reaching  Abu  Hamed. 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  185 

Fresh  supplies  of  boat-repairing  material 
arrived  during  the  day,  sent  by  camel  from 
Korti ;  they  were  very  urgently  needed. 
Our  boats  were  suffering  severely  from  the 
shallow  and  rocky  rapids  up  which  they 
had  to  be  forced.  Planks,  pitch,  paint,  and 
copper  nails  were  conspicuous  by  their  ab- 
sence ;  and  where  a  plank  was  stove  in,  it 
had  to  be  repaired  by  a  patch  of  tin  from 
a  biscuit-box,  nailed  over  the  leak  with  iron 
nails  taken  from  the  boxes  which  contained 
our  food. 

Three  men  of  the  Staffords  died  to-day 
of  their  wounds.  The  other  wounded  of 
the  Staffords  had  been  carried  on  in  their 
boats,  arrangements  having  been  made  for 
their  transport,  and  for  the  transport  of  the 
wounded  of  the  Black  Watch  by  their  own 
reo;iments.  Each  wounded  man  had  his 
boat's  number  attached  to  his  stretcher,  and 
a  medical  officer  superintended  his  being 
placed  in  the  boat.  They  were  to  sleep  in 
the  boats  or  in  tents  pitched  on  shore,  as 
the  surgeon  might  think  best  in  each  case. 


1 86  THE    SHUKOOK    PASS. 

In  the  first  Instance,  the  stretchers  were 
placed  athwart-ships  near  the  stern,  in  front 
of  the  coxswain  ;  but  it  was  found  that  the 
ends  of  the  stretchers  were  Hable  to  be 
knocked  against  in  hauhng  the  boats  up 
rapids,  or  coming  in  to  shore  in  swift  water ; 
and  as  this  annoyed  men  made  nervous 
by  pain  and  weakness,  arrangements  were 
afterwards  made  for  laying  the  stretchers 
along  fore  and  aft,  on  the  thwarts,  between 
the  row^ers.  Awnings  were  spread  for 
wounded  men,  but  were  not  allowed  in  any 
other  boats. 

We  had  captured  about  140  rifles  on  the 
scene  of  the  action,  of  which  the  majority 
had  been  broken  at  the  time.  These 
broken  ones  we  threw  into  the  middle  of 
the  river ;  but  about  40  Remingtons  we 
retained,  with  the  intention  of  armin^  our 
unarmed  men  with  them  in  case  of  need  ; 
and  at  our  request  the  Vakeel  returned  to 
us  1000  rounds  of  Remington  ammunition, 
which  we  had  captured  at  Birti,  and  handed 
over  to  him. 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  1 8/ 

On  the  13th  the  Cornwalls  and  four  com-  13th  Feb. 
panies  of  the  Staffords  advanced  about  five 
miles,  partly  through  rapids,  to  the  Shu- 
kook  camp.  The  rest  of  the  Staffords,  the 
Gordons,  and  two  companies  Black  Watch, 
closed  up  at  Wady  el  Argu,  to  which  I  ad- 
vanced my  headquarters. 

Alleyne  reconnoitred  four  miles  of  clear 
and  not  very  swift  water  beyond.  Through 
overhanging  rocky  cliffs,  Butler,  with  the 
mounted  troops,  reconnoitred  to  the  upper 
end  of  the  Shukook  pass  opposite  Uss 
island.  Here  there  was  another  rapid,  but 
not  so  formidable  as  some  we  had  passed. 
He  reported  the  country  opening  out,  but 
no  traces  of  cultivation ;  and  considered 
that  the  Cornwalls  and  the  wino;  of  the 
Staffords  from  Shukook  could  reach  the 
foot  of  the  rapid  next  day,  and  possibly 
commence  its  passage. 

The  early  morning  saw  the  death  of 
Captain  Lord  Avonmore  from  enteric  fever. 
He,  no  less  than  those  who  fell  at  Kirbekan, 
was  killed  in  action.     He  had  overtaxed  his 


i88  THE    SHUKOOK   PASS. 

apparently  boundless  energy ;  and  the  ex- 
haustion produced  by  incessant  exposure  to 
the  sun,  and  great  physical  fatigue,  left  him 
too  weak  to  repel  the  insidious  attack  of 
the  disease.  We  laid  him  by  the  side  of 
the  officers  whom  we  had  buried  on  the 
loth  ;  and  as  we  turned  away  for  the  last 
time  from  those  nameless  graves,  many  a 
strong  man's  eyes  were  moist,  and  many 
a  lip  quivered  from  heartfelt  emotion. 

To-day  the  news  reached  us  by  telegram 
from  Korti  that  Sir  Charles  Wilson  and 
Lieutenant  Stuart  Wortley  had  reached 
Korti  on  the  9th,  with  a  short  account  of 
Lord  Charles  Beresford's  brilliant  affair  with 
the  enemy.  We  learnt  that  half  the  West 
Kent  Regiment  was  to  leave  for  Gakdul 
on  the  loth,  and  that  Lord  Wolseley  would 
possibly  leave  for  the  same  place  on  the 
15  th. 

No  information  had  yet  been  given  to 
the  troops  as  to  the  fall  of  Khartoum  ;  but 
as  the  Renter's  telegram  which  arrived 
simultaneously  with  this  news  alluded  to  it 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  189 

as  a  fact  established,  I  thought  it  desirable, 
to  prevent  wild  rumours,  to  circulate  the 
following  memorandum  throughout  the 
force  : — ■ 

"  From  information  received  from  Lord  Wolse- 
ley,  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  original  object 
of  this  expedition — namely,  the  relief  of  General 
Gordon — cannot  be  carried  out. 

"When  Sir  Charles  Wilson  arrived  before 
Khartum,  he  found  it  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  ; 
and  from  information  derived  from  a  letter  cap- 
tured after  the  action  of  Kirbekan,  it  is  believed 
that  Khartum  was  taken  by  the  Mahdi  on  the 
26th  of  January,  and  that  General  Gordon  was 
killed. 

"Sir  Charles  Wilson  in  returning  from  Khar- 
tum was  wrecked.  He  and  his  party  appear  to 
have  taken  refuge  on  an  island,  whence,  accord- 
ing to  information  received  from  the  Chief  of  the 
Staff,  they  were  brought  off  by  a  steamer  under 
the  command  of  Captain  Lord  Charles  Beresford, 
R.N. 

"  Lord  Charles  Beresford  had  a  brilliant  little 
engagement  with  the  enemy,  who  were  in  posi- 
tion on  the  bank  with  four  guns.  One  shot  hit 
the  boiler,  disabling  the  steamer  till  the  boiler 
was  repaired,  which  was  done  under  fire,  taking 


igo  THE    SHUKOOK    PASS. 

the  greater  part  of  the  day.  One  sailor  was 
killed,  and  Lieutenant  Van  Koughnet,  R.N., 
wounded,  but  not  dangerously. 

"  Sir  Charles  Wilson  and  Lieutenant  Stuart 
Wortley  arrived  at  Korti  on  the  night  of  the  lOth 
instant. 

"It  is  understood  to  be  the  present  intention 
of  her  Majesty's  Government  to  break  up  the 
Mahdi's  power  in  the  Soudan,  and  a  strong  force 
of  all  arms  is  proceeding  to  Souakim  to  crush 
Osman  Digna. 

"Headquarters  and  three  companies  of  the  West 
Kent  Regiment  left  Korti  on  the  loth  instant  for 
Gakdul. 

"  Lord  Wolseley  will  probably  leave  later  to 
join  General  Buller's  force,  and  co-operate  with 
this  column  in  the  capture  of  Berber." 

On  the  14th  the  Corn  walls  advanced  to 
and  reached  the  foot  of  Uss  rapid,  opposite 
Little  Uss  island,  entered  the  rapid,  and 
made  some  progress  through  it.  Here  was 
the  true  upper  entrance  to  the  Shukook 
pass,  which  had  evidently  been  the  site 
of  a  camp  of  the  enemy.  I  halted  the  lead- 
ing wing  of  the  Staffords  at  the  foot  of  the 
rapid,   and  the  Gordons  and  other  wing  of 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  191 

the  Stafforcls  closed  up  upon  them  before 
nightfall.  The  Black  Watch  reached  Wady 
el  Argu,  as  did  the  artillery  and  convoy. 

I  moved  my  headquarters  to  the  foot  of 
Uss  rapid.  The  troopers  sent  back  as  guides 
by  Colonel  Butler  to  lead  me  from  our  Wady 
el  Argu  camp  through  the  Shukook,  instead 
of  turning  to  the  right,  as  they  should  have 
done,  at  the  entrance  to  the  pass,  took  a 
turn  to  the  left,  and  involved  me  and  the 
baggage-convoy  in  a  labyrinth  of  the  wildest 
description. 

The  path  by  which  they  brought  us  was 
utterly  unfitted  for  a  track  for  loaded  camels, 
though  practicable  enough  for  horses.  We 
marched  for  six  miles  throuo'h  as  bad  oround 
as  it  was  possible  to  traverse,  wedged  in 
between  rocks ;  and  it  was  evidently  im- 
possible that  this  could  be  what  was  after 
all  a  well-known  and  much-travelled  pass. 
Inquiries  from  Abu  Bekr,  Avho  was  in  rear 
with  the  baggage,  satisfied  me  that  there 
was  another  road  far  better,  and  little,  if  at 
all,  longer ;  and  I  sent  back  Colonel  Colvilc 


192  THE    SHUKOOK    PASS. 

with  Abu  Bekr  to  Wady  el  Argu,  to  lead 
the  convoy  by  the  better  route  the  next  day. 

Colonel  Butler  reconnoitred  three  or  four 
miles  beyond  the  head  of  Uss  rapid,  and 
found  swift  water  but  no  bad  rapid.  Culti- 
vation commenced  ahead  ;  and  there  were 
many  mimosa-trees,  the  ground  becoming 
more  open.  No  signs  of  any  enemy,  and 
all  inhabitants  fled. 

A  spy  returned  from  Salamat,  which  was 
now  only  ten  miles  from  our  advanced  camp, 
reported  that  the  people  had  fled  on  the  1 2th, 
carrying  all  their  possessions  with  them,  in 
the  direction  of  the  Robatab  country  or  into 
the  desert.  Colonel  Butler  was  therefore  in- 
structed to  push  his  mounted  troops  home 
into  Salamat  the  following  day,  and  ascer- 
tain whether  it  was  still  held  by  the  enemy 
or  not. 

I  was  now  in  a  position  to  place  the 
Gordon  Highlanders  ahead  of  the  Stafford- 
shire  Regiment  in  the  order  of  march,  and 
accordingly  the  following  orders  were  issued 
for  the  next  day's  advance  : — 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  193 

"  The  Cornwalls  to  continue  their  advance 
through  Uss  rapid,  covered  by  the  advance 
of  the  mounted  troops  ;  the  Gordons  to  enter 
the  Uss  rapid,  moving  in  two  columns — one 
by  each  bank ;  the  Staffords  to  be  in  readi- 
ness to  follow  the  Gordons  ;  the  Black  Watch 
to  advance  from  Wady  el  Argu  to  the  foot 
of  Uss  rapid." 

This  rapid  opposite  Uss  island,  though 
not  marked  in  any  map  or  mentioned  in 
any  account  of  the  river,  proved  one  of  the 
most  troublesome  obstacles  we  had  yet  en- 
countered. Boats  had  to  track  singly  by 
the  island  bank  up  the  last  rush  of  water. 
The  Gordons  had  passed  through  the  lower  isth  Feb. 
portion  of  the  rapid,  and  closed  up  on  the 
rear  of  the  Cornwalls,  long  before  these 
were  all  through  the  upper  rush  of  water. 
In  fact,  by  2  p.m.  only  the  Cornwalls  and 
two  companies  of  the  Gordons  were  through 
the  rapid. 

Meanwhile  Butler  reconnoitred  with  the 
mounted  troops,  and  at  1.30  p.m.  entered 
the  betrinnino:  of  the  lone  villaQfe  of  Sala- 

N 


194  THE    SHUKOOK    PASS. 

mat,  which  extends  for  some  two  and  a  half 
miles  along  the  left  bank  opposite  the  island 
of  Sherri.  He  found  the  whole  village  de- 
serted. He  reported  that  there  was  another 
bad  rapid  opposite  Sherari  island  —  but 
above  that,  clear  water  apparently  for  some 
miles ;  and  that  opposite  the  upper  end  of 
the  village  of  Salamat,  the  yellow  sand  of 
the  true  right  bank  of  the  Nile  was  again 
visible. 

Alleyne,  with  the  leading  boats,  reached 
a  small  village  opposite  the  island  of  Shoar, 
about  four  miles  above  the  Uss  rapid,  in 
four  hours  from  leavinor  the  head  of  the 
rapid,  and  halted  there.  All  boats  which 
had  passed  through  the  Uss  rapid  by  2  p.m., 
and  which  could  therefore  reach  the  Shoar 
bivouac  before  dark,  were  sent  on  there. 

The  remainder  of  the  Gordons  were 
passed  through  Uss  rapid,  and  encamped  on 
the  left  bank  at  its  head.  The  Staffords 
concentrated  on  a  small  sand  island  at  the 
foot  of  the  bad  part  of  the  rapid,  ready  to 
commence  passing  through  it  at  daylight ; 


THE    SHUKOOK    PASS.  195 

and  the  Black  Watch  bivouacked  in  the 
camp  at  the  foot,  occupied  by  the  Staffords 
and  Gordons  the  preceding  night. 

Early  in  the  day  I  had  moved  my  head- 
quarters to  the  old  dervish's  camp  opposite 
to  the  rapid  and  to  the  entrance  of  the 
Shukook  pass,  and  about  noon  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  the  head  of  the  convoy 
and  the  battery  emerge  from  the  pass.  That 
pass  had  long  been  a  subject  of  anxiety  to 
us,  and  rightly  so.  In  the  course  of  the 
day  I  rode  back  some  two  or  three  miles 
through  it,  and  an  uglier  place  it  was  dif- 
ficult to  conceive.  In  some  places  there 
was  barely  room  for  a  loaded  camel  to 
pass  between  the  perpendicular  rocks ;  in 
others,  where  the  path  was  wider,  the  rocks 
had  been  prepared  for  defence  by  loopholed 
stone  sconces,  in  the  same  way  as  the  kop- 
pies  and  ridge  at  Kirbekan.  There  was 
110  order  or  regularity  in  the  plan  of  the 
rocks.  They  seemed  to  have  been  up- 
heaved as  a  mass  in  some  ereat  volcanic 
convulsion,    and    to    have  fallen   one    upon 


196  THE    SHUKOOK    PASS. 

another  In  every  direction,  covering  a  space 
some  six  miles  long  by  three  or  four  broad. 
With  our  infantry  tied  to  the  boats,  as  it 
was,  and  with  so  small  a  force  of  mounted 
troops,  it  would  have  been  a  most  difficult 
task  to  dislodge  an  active  and  determined 
enemy  from  such  a  position,  of  which  he 
knew  every  outlet,  and  of  which  we  knew 
nothing.  It  was  an  oppressive  place  to 
remain  in.  It  had  not  even  the  redeeming 
element  of  grandeur,  such  as  great  massive 
features  sfive  to  the  most  ruQ^o-ed  mountain- 
range.  It  represented  low,  sullen  savagery. 
It  was  typical  of  the  tribe  to  whom  it 
belonofed. 

Orders  were  issued  for  a  o-eneral  advance 
of  all  the  boats  from  their  respective  posi- 
tions in  the  morning ;  and  I  was  enabled, 
with  a  light  heart,  to  report  to  Lord  Wolse- 
ley  that  our  cavalry  had  entered  Salamat, 
and  that  the  convoy  was  through  the  Shu- 
kook  pass. 


197 


CHAPTER     XI. 

salamat destruction  of  suleiman  wad 

gamr's  property. 

My  report  to  Lord  Wolseley  on  the  1 5th  was  15th  Feb. 
to  the  following  effect  :  "  Cavalry  entered 
Salamat  to  -  day,  and  found  it  deserted. 
Leading  infantry  are  within  five  miles  of 
Salamat ;  but  a  bad  rapid  intervenes  oppo- 
site Sherari  island,  which  will  probably 
require  500  yards'  portage.  The  rapid 
opposite  Uss  island  is  not  marked  in  any 
map,  nor  had  we  any  information  of  its 
existence ;  but  it  takes  three  days  to  get 
the  troops  through  it.  Under  conditions 
of  exceptionally  low  Nile  and  unexpected 
rapids,  any  estimate  of  time  must  be  mere 
guess  -  work.      I    hope    I    may   reach   Abu 


198  SALAMAT. 

Hamed  in  ten  days,  but  do  not  think  I 
can  concentrate  there  in  less  than  four- 
teen, as  I  have  all  my  camels  and  horses 
to  cross  over." 

Colonel  Butler,  in  his  reconnaissance  of 
the  15th,  had  reported  Sherri  island  as 
being  richly  cultivated,  with  many  houses. 
Some  of  the  inhabitants  had  hailed  his 
party  across  the  river,  and  asked  for 
"grace,"  exactly  in  the  same  way  as  the 
inhabitants  of  Hebbeh  had  asked  for 
"orface"  from  Colonel  Stewart  when  his 
steamer  was  wrecked  there.  Butler  had 
replied  that  grace  would  be  given  to  all 
except  the  murderers  of  Stewart  and  his 
companions ;  and  the  islanders  replied  that 
they  had  to  consult  the  rest  of  their  people, 
and  would  reply  when  all  our  soldiers  had 
arrived  at  Salamat. 
i6thFeb.  On  the  1 6th  the  mounted  troops  ad- 
vanced and  covered  the  head  of  Sherari 
rapid,  while  the  Cornwalls  advanced  to  it 
and  succeeded  in  passing  six  companies 
through,  which  bivouacked  above  the  rapid. 


SULEIMAN  S  PROPERTY  DESTROYED.   199 

The  lower  half  of  this  rapid  was  not  difficult 
when  once  the  channel  was  known  ;  but  there 
was  only  one  narrow  and  difficult  passage 
through  the  upper  half  In  one  place  there 
was  only  just  sufficient  water  through  sunken 
rocks  for  a  hundred  yards.  The  boats  were 
all  taken  through  by  a  party  of  voyageurs. 
A  company  of  the  Gordons,  with  Captain 
Peel,  was  sent  to  try  another  channel  round 
Sherari  island  ;  but  they  returned,  having 
lost  one  boat  swamped.  The  remainder  of 
the  Cornwalls  and  the  Gordons  bivouacked 
below  the  upper  portion  of  the  rapid — the 
Staffords  at  Shoar,  and  the  Black  Watch 
still  at  Uss — the  river  above  being  too 
much  blocked  with  boats  for  them  to 
move  during  the  day.  The  mounted 
troops  joined  the  Cornwalls  at  the  head  of 
the  rapid.  Headquarters  bivouacked  with 
the  Gordons  ;  and  the  convoy  was  brought 
on  to  the  same  place,  as  it  afforded  good 
camping-ground  and  forage. 

In  consequence  of  the  attitude  of  the  in- 
habitants  of  Sherri    island,  I   sent  to  them 


200  SALAMAT. 

a  letter  in  Arabic,  promising  that  if  they 
would  lay  down  their  arms  and  assist  us 
with  supplies,  no  one  should  be  harmed 
except  the  murderers  of  Colonel  Stewart, 
and  that  their  houses  and  sakycJis  should  be 
spared.  The  letter  w^as  delivered  on  the 
island. 

Orders  were  issued  for  all  troops  to  ad- 
vance on  the  following  day — the  cavalry  to 
cover  the  advance  of  the  Cornwalls ;  the 
camel  corps  to  remain  in  bivouac,  and 
cover  the  convoy,  artillery,  and  troops  in 
the  Sherari  cataract. 
17th  Feb.  On  the  17th,  Colonel  Butler,  with  the 
cavalry,  occupied  Salamat  by  9  a.m.,  and  at 
the  same  hour  two  companies  of  the  Corn- 
walls  landed  on  Sherri  island.  They  found 
it  deserted,  and  commenced  to  search  for 
supplies.  No  cattle  were  found,  but  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  grain  and  dates,  which, 
together  with  a  supply  of  grain  found  on 
Uss  island,  completed  the  loads  of  our 
camel  transport  to  its  full  carrying  power. 
The  Sherari  cataract  caused  great  delay 


SULEIMAN  S  PROPERTY  DESTROYED.   201 

and  considerable  damage  to  boats.  The 
Staffords  and  the  Gordons  each  lost  one 
boat,  damaged  beyond  repair ;  but  no  lives 
were  lost.  By  sunset  the  Cornwalls  and 
three  companies  of  the  Gordons  were  in 
bivouac  at  Salamat,  with  the  naval  boat, 
Engineers,  part  of  the  field-hospital,  and 
the  cavalry.  Headquarters  also  moved  to 
Salamat,  and  occupied  a  house  in  a  walled 
garden  near  the  river- bank,  belonging  to 
a  sister  of  Abu  Bekr — an  aunt,  therefore, 
of  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr.  All  the  camel 
troops  and  convoy  advanced  to  a  good 
camping-ground,  with  ample  forage,  at  the 
head  of  Sherari.  Colonel  Butler  recon- 
noitred as  far  as  Jebel  Asma,  and  ascended 
the  mountain.  He  reported  clear  water 
for  nine  miles  from  Salamat,  no  trace  of 
enemy,  and  signs  of  cultivation  along  the 
river-bank  beyond  Jebel  Asma. 

The  infantry  continued  their  slow  pro- 
gress through  the  rapids.  The  remainder 
of  the  Gordons  and  the  Staffords  bivouacked 
at  Sherari,  and  the  Black  Watch  at  Shoar. 


202  SALAMAT. 

On  the  previous  evening  a  telegram  from 
the  acting  Chief  of  the  Staff  had  arrived, 
dated  13th,  giving  projects  for  sending  us 
up  supphes  by  hired  camels,  and  stating 
what  supplies  we  might  possibly  find  at 
Abu  Hamed.  It  informed  me  that  a  con- 
voy was  to  start  from  Korosko  on  the  15th, 
which  should  reach  Abu  Hamed  by  the 
20th  or  2 1st;  that  Lord  Wolseley  antici- 
pated that  I  could  be  ready  to  leave  Abu 
Hamed  on  the  2 2d  or  23d  ;  but  as  he  could 
not  let  me  leave  it  until  he  should  hear 
from  General  Duller,  I  was  to  await  orders 
there,  and  he  scarcely  hoped  I  should  reach 
Berber  until  the  13th  or  14th  March. 

The  telegram  informed  me  of  Lord  Wol- 
seley's  proposals  for  the  disposition  of  the 
troops  after  the  projected  capture  of  Ber- 
ber, and  of  my  own  share,  and  that  of  my 
column,  in  these  arrangements  ;  but  as  sub- 
sequent events  made  these  proposals  void, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  reproduce  them  here. 

Captain  Kekewich,  D.  A.  A.G.,  also  arrived 
with  despatches,  having  left  Korti  on  the 


SULEIMAN  S  PROPERTY  DESTROYED.   203 

13th,  and  travelled  through  by  camel  in 
three  days  from  Abu  Dom.  He  brought 
me  a  letter  from  Lord  Wolseley,  and  a 
copy  of  the  instructions  to  General  Duller, 
dated  12th  February.  With  him  returned 
from  Abu  Dom  all  the  camel-corps  men 
hitherto  employed  in  carrying  messages  to 
and  from  that  place, — arrangements  having 
now  been  made  with  the  commandant  at 
Abu  Dom,  and  the  Vakeel  at  Birti,  to  sup- 
ply messengers  between  these  places,  and 
with  the  latter  to  supply  messengers  from 
Birti  to  our  camp.  From  Captain  Keke- 
wich  we  learned  something  of  the  situation 
on  the  desert  side,  so  far  as  it  was  known 
at  Korti  up  to  the  date  of  his  leaving. 

I  replied  to-day  to  the  Chief  of  the  Staffs 
telegram.  I  said  frankly  that  I  had  no 
faith  in  the  promises  of  any  sheikhs  that 
they  would  forward  supplies  to  our  camp, 
and  that  the  convoy  I  was  to  receive  at 
Abu  Hamed  from  Korosko  would  enable 
my  force  to  live  till  the  23d  April,  and  no 
longer.      I  entered  into  questions  of  supply 


204  SALAMAT. 

as  affecting  Lord  Wolseley's  proposed  plan 
of  operations,  expressed  my  fears  as  to  too 
sanofuine  an  estimate  havingf  been  formed 
both  as  to  time  and  supplies,  and  again 
repeated  that  I  could  fix  no  dates,  rate  of 
progress  being  dependent  on  unknown  con- 
ditions. I  informed  him  that  my  rear  bat- 
talion could  only  reach  Salamat  on  the  1 9th. 
Immediately  on  arrival  at  Salamat,  Sulei- 
man Wad  Gamr's  house  had  been  taken 
possession  of  and  searched.  Many  relics  of 
the  murder  were  found  there,  including  one 
of  poor  Stewart's  visiting-cards  stained  with 
blood,  extracts  from  M.  Herbin's  papers, 
and  photographs  of  M.  Herbin  and  of  the 
Austrian  consul,  presented  by  them  to  Mr 
Power.  Chests  of  papers  were  found  here, 
and  great  numbers  of  papers,  with  some  few 
relics  of  the  murder,  on  Sherri  island.  All 
these  were  secured  and  carefully  examined 
by  the  interpreters  ;  and  orders  were  issued 
for  all  the  troops  at  Salamat,  except  the 
pickets  and  a  search  -  party  ordered  to 
Sherri  island,  to  parade   under  the  intelli- 


Suleiman's  property  destroyed.  205 

gence  officers  with  axes,  picks,  and  shovels, 
for  the  destruction  of  property.  The  other 
troops  were  ordered  to  close  up  to  Salamat. 

On  the  1 8th  the  Gordons  and  Staffords  isth  Feb. 
closed  up  on  the  Cornwalls  at  Salamat. 
The  damaofed  boats  of  the  Cornwalls  and 
Gordons  were  repaired,  the  repairing  party 
working  till  late.  The  Black  Watch  entered, 
and  a  portion  passed  through,  the  Sherari 
cataract. 

The  foraging  party  on  Sherri  island  was 
successful,  and  brought  over  some  forty 
camel-loads  of  grain  in  their  boats.  The 
troops  were,  I  fear,  much  disappointed  at  not 
obtaining  permission  to  destroy  the  houses 
and  sakyehs  on  the  island ;  but  knowing 
that  sooner  or  later  we  should  have  to 
return  down  the  river,  I  forbade  all  destruc- 
tion which,  without  any  marked  object  to  be 
gained,  would  interfere  with  the  sources  of 
supply  on  our  return.  The  discipline  of  the 
troops  was  admirable.  At  one  time  some 
unauthorised  burning  of  huts  had  taken 
place — not,   I  believe,  by  enlisted  soldiers. 


206  SALAMAT. 

I  had  therefore  pubhshed  an  order  abso- 
lutely forbidding  such  irregularities,  directing 
that  any  soldier,  voyageur,  or  interpreter, 
plundering  or  setting  fire  to  any  house, 
sakyek,  or  trees,  without  authority,  was  to 
be  tried  by  summary  court-martial,  and 
pointing  out  that  the  offence  was  punishable 
with  death.  From  that  date  the  offence 
entirely  ceased. 

The  troops  had  set  to  with  a  will  to 
destroy  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr's  property. 
His  house  was  a  large  one,  standing  on  an 
eminence,  with  a  colonnade  supported  by 
pillars,  and  several  courtyards,  each  with 
several  rooms.  Roofs  were  pulled  down, 
all  wood  available  for  firewood  carried  off, 
the  walls  shaken  by  charges  of  gun-cotton, 
and  then  utterly  destroyed  by  the  pick  and 
the  shovel.  Beams  and  solid  wooden  doors, 
rare  articles  in  this  country,  were  destroyed 
by  fire,  and  the  house  was  razed  to  the 
ground.  All  his  sakyehs  were  burnt,  and 
his  palm-trees  were  cut  down  and  destroyed 
with  fire. 


SULEIMAN  S  PROPERTY  DESTROYED.   20/ 

By  way  of  instruction,  I  ordered  a  wing 
of  the  Staffords  to  occupy  Sheikh  Omar's 
house  as  their  bivouac  this  evening,  and  to 
place  it  in  a  defensible  state,  with  orders  to 
destroy  it  and  the  rest  of  Omar's  property 
in  the  morning — Omar  having  escaped  from 
the  Vakeel,  and  rejoined  Suleiman,  Abu 
Bekr's  property  and  that  of  his  sister  were 
spared. 

These  houses  were  of  a  higher  class  than 
any  we  had  met  with  in  the  Shagiyeh  or 
Monassir  country.  Tiie}^  had  some  attempt 
at  ornament,  and  stood  in  gardens.  In 
Abu  Bekr's  Qrarden  there  was  an  orange- 
tree  full  of  blossom,  the  only  one  we  had 
seen  since  leavincj  Dono^ola. 

Colvile's  soldier-servant  came  into  camp 
to-day,  having  had  a  curious  adventure. 
He  and  a  native  servant  of  Colvile's,  a 
Dongolese  or  Shagiyeh — I  forget  which — 
having  left  the  bivouac  of  the  previous 
day  on  camels  with  Colvile's  baggage  for 
Salamat,  had  taken  a  wrong  turn  in  a  wady, 
and  had  strayed  into  the  desert,  where  they 


208  SALAMAT. 

lost  themselves  and  wandered  about  till 
niofhtfall,  without  water,  and  with  little  food. 
In  the  early  morning  they  started  to  try 
and  find  the  camp,  and  came  upon  a  party 
of  natives — doubtless  nomad  Monassir — 
tending  cattle  in  a  wady,  with  their  women 
and  children.  The  native  servant  asserted 
that  they  invited  him  to  join  them  in  killing 
the  white  man,  but  he  told  them  there  were 
50,000  English  at  Sal  am  at,  who  had  come 
here  on  purpose  to  avenge  another  English- 
man's death,  and  they  would  certainly  all  be 
killed  if  they  hurt  this  one.  At  all  events 
the  two  servants  were  shown  their  way  to 
Salamat,  and  allowed  to  proceed  unharmed, 
— another  tolerably  convincing  proof  of  the 
moral  effect  of  the  fight  at  Kirbekan. 

Butler  reconnoitred  four  or  five  miles 
beyond  Jebel  Asma,  reported  the  river 
clear,  the  country  fairly  open,  and  ample 
cultivation  for  foraging  herds  of  animals. 
Orders  were  therefore  issued  for  the  advance 
to  recommence  in  the  morning,  the  Corn- 
walls  leading,  followed  by  the  Gordons ;  the 


SULEIMAN  S  PROPERTY  DESTROYED.   209 

Staffords  to  halt  at  Salamat,  repair  their 
boats,  and  demoHsh  Sheikh  Omar's  pro- 
perty. The  Black  Watch,  battery,  and 
convoy,  to  close  up  to  Salamat.  The 
cavalry  to  cover  the  advance  with  half  the 
camel  corps  and  two  guns. 

Reporting  the  intended  advance  to  the 
Chief  of  the  Staff  to-day,  I  said :  "  I  am  un- 
willing to  send  back  soldiers  with  messages, 
and  native  runners  are  limited  in  number. 
I  shall  therefore  not  attempt  to  communi- 
cate with  you  again  after  this,  unless  some- 
thing special  occurs,  until  I  reach  Abu 
Hamed,  which  I  hope  to  do.  about  26th 
instant." 

A  native  taken  prisoner  by  our  scouts 
stated  he  had  left  Abu  Hamed  four  days 
ago,  and  had  met  crowds  of  men,  women, 
and  children,  with  cattle  and  camels,  making 
their  way  up  the  river  on  both  banks.  He 
said  they  had  few  rifles,  but  many  spears  ; 
and  he  had  heard  that  Suleiman  Wad 
Gamr  was  retiring  on  Berber,  by  order  of 
Mohammed  el    Kheir.      All   the   Monassir 

o 


210  SALAMAT. 

villages  were  deserted,  but  the  Robatab 
villages  were  still  inhabited. 
19th  Feb.  On  the  19th  the  advance  from  Salamat 
commenced,  Omar's  house  was  razed  to 
the  ground,  and  his  sakyehs  and  palm-trees 
destroyed,  A  quantity  of  grain  was  col- 
lected. The  cavalry  and  camel  troops 
started  with  grain  for  six  days ;  every 
transport  camel  was  fully  loaded  up,  and 
the  camels  had  a  good  feed.  The  last  of 
the  troops  and  the  convoy  closed  up  at 
Salamat,  and  were  ordered  to  advance  on 
the  following  day. 


211 


CHAPTER    XII. 

HEBBEH THE    PASSAGE    OF    THE    NILE. 

On  the  19th,  Colonel  Butler  on  the  bank,  19th  Feb. 
and  Colonel  Alleyne  in  his  boat,  recon- 
noitred for  a  distance  of  between  eleven 
and  twelve  miles  from  Salamat,  and  Butler 
selected  a  site  for  a  bivouac  at  Sulimanyeh,  • 
about  nine  miles  above  Salamat,  and  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  below  the  wreck  of 
Stewart's  steamer  ;  and  the  Cornwalls,  Gor- 
dons, and  details  concentrated  there  by  five 
o'clock.  Butler  reported  that  when  he  ar- 
rived opposite  the  wreck,  two  Arab  scouts  on 
camels  began  to  shout  from  the  right  bank, 
and  then  rode  off  to  the  north.  We  had 
seen  the  enemy's  scouts  in  the  same  way  on 
our  arrival  at  Salamat.     A  prisoner  taken 


212  HEBBEH. 

beyond  the  site  of  the  wreck  asserted  that 
Suleiman  Wad  Gamr  had  arrived  at  SuHman- 
yeh  on  the  i6th,  and  had  gone  northwards 
on  the  17th,  taking  with  him  Fakri  Wad 
Etman ;  he  was  said  to  be  accompanied 
by  about  400  men  and  a  number  of  women 
and  children,  with  many  cattle,  camels,  don- 
keys, and  much  baggage.  Lekalik,  with 
the  force  which  had  retreated  from  the 
Shukook  pass,  was  said  to  have  preceded 
Suleiman  Wad  Gamr,  two  of  the  sheikhs 
that  had  been  with  him  at  the  Shukook 
having  been  sent  direct  to  Berber. 

Another  prisoner  informed  us  that  he 
had  left  the  neighbourhood  of  Abu  Hamed 
on  the  14th.  He  heard  that  many  men 
from  Berber  had  arrived  there,  and  that 
there  were  2000  Ababdehs,  1000  Bisharin, 
and  some  Robatab  assembled  there  to 
defend  Abu   Hamed. 

Although  the  accounts  of  prisoners  were 
by  no  means  to  be  trusted,  there  was  a 
persistency  in  the  accounts  of  the  flights 
along  the  left  bank  which,  coupled  with  the 


THE    PASSAGE    OF   THE    NILE.  213 

hasty  and  complete  abandonment  of  the 
Shukook  pass,  led  me  to  believe  that  the 
enemy  in  front  of  us  was  in  a  state  of 
demoralisation,  and  unlikely  to  make  any 
stand.  On  the  other  hand,  the  presence  of 
the  enemy's  mounted  scouts  on  the  right 
bank — their  defiant  attitude  as  they  retired, 
menacing  us  by  voice  and  gesture,  as  the 
enemy's  outposts  on  the  left  bank  had  men- 
aced us  before  Kirbekan,  but  at  no  other 
time — led  me  to  believe  the  consistent  re- 
ports that  on  the  right  bank  at,  or  possibly 
before  reaching,  Abu  Hamed,  we  should 
meet  with  a  more  determined  opposition,  in 
which  it  was  probable  the  news  of  the  fall 
of  Khartoum  mioht  induce  both  Ababdeh 
and  Bisharin  Arabs  to  join. 

I  was  therefore  anxious  to  cross  my 
mounted  troops  and  transport  animals  over 
to  the  right  bank  as  soon  as  practicable,  and 
resolved  to  do  this  at  the  first  convenient 
locality.  Little  was  to  be  gained  by  ad- 
vancing farther  on  the  left  bank  ;  for  though 
there  was   perhaps   more  cultivation   on  it 


214  HEBBEH. 

than  on  the  right  bank,  both  were  barren 
sandy  wastes,  with  only  occasional  patches 
of  growing  crops  ;  and  as  at  SuHmanyeh  we 
were  within  little  more  than  forty  miles  of 
Abu  Hamed,  and  all  accounts  united  in 
agreeing  that  there  was  but  one  more  rapid 
of  any  importance — that  close  to  Mograt 
island  —  the  time  before  reaching  Abu 
Hamed  should  now  be  so  brief,  that  a  little 
better  grrazino-  for  the  camels  did  not  weiofh 
against  the  importance  of  effecting  the 
crossing  without  opposition. 

I  had  attached  Colonel  Colvile  to  the 
advanced  guard  under  Butler  since  his 
arrival  in  camp  after  guiding  the  convoy 
through  the  Shukook,  with  instructions  to 
send  in  a  sketch  daily  to  accompany  Colonel 
Butler's  report.  Judging  from  his  sketch 
received  this  eveningf-  at  Salamat  that  a 
favourable  crossing  -  place  would  be  found 
near  SuHmanyeh,  I  wrote  to  Colonel  Butler 
saying  that  the  whole  of  the  troops  at  Sala- 
mat would  move  to  SuHmanyeh  on  the  20th, 
that  I   should  myself  start  at   7  and  be  in 


THE    PASSAGE    OF    THE    NILE.  21 5 

his  camp  at  8.30,  and  that  I  begged  him  to 
wait  for  me  there.  He  was  to  send  on  the 
Cornwalls  and  Gordons  in  the  morning  by 
river,  but  not  the  guns  or  any  baggage  or 
baggage-animals  till  after  my  arrival ;  and 
two  companies  of  each  of  the  leading  bat- 
talions were  to  halt  on  the  left  bank  op- 
posite to  Hebbeh,  with  all  the  axes,  picks, 
and  shovels  the  battalions  could  furnish. 
No  troops  were  to  be  allowed  to  land  on 
the  right  bank.  My  intention  was,  if 
there  was  a  favourable  crossing  -  place  at 
Sulimanyeh,  to  cross  all  the  animals  and 
guns  over  there  with  the  boats  of  the  two 
rear  battalions,  to  visit  and  examine  the 
site  of  Stewart's  murder,  and  then  destroy 
the  house  and  surrounding  property  of 
Fakri  Wad  Etman.  If  there  should  not  be 
a  favourable  crossing-place,  the  dispositions 
were  such  that  no  delay  whatever  would  be 
caused. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th    I    reached  20th  Feb. 
Sulimanyeh  at    the    hour   named,  and  told 
Colonel   Butler   my  views.      He   said    that 


2l6  HEBBEH. 

Hebbeh  itself  afforded  so  favourable  a  site  for 
the  crossing,  that  he  had  directed  Alleyne 
to  halt  all  the  boats  there,  pending  my  de- 
cision. On  arrival  opposite  Hebbeh,  directly 
opposite  the  wrecked  steamer,  I  found  all 
the  conditions  for  a  favourable  crossing 
fulfilled.  On  this  side  a  high  commanding 
bank,  with  clear  view  over  the  neighbouring 
country,  affording  an  excellent  position  for 
infantry  and  guns  both  to  sweep  the  oppo- 
site bank  and  hold  their  own  against  any 
attack  from  this  side.  Below  the  high  bank, 
but  easily  approached  by  a  natural  ramp,  a 
long  sandbank  sloping  gradually  into  the 
water.  On  the  opposite  side,  but  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  below,  a  high  Nile  island,  forming 
a  strong  position  for  infantry,  and  with  a 
similar  sandbank — the  breadth  from  the  left 
bank  to  the  high  Nile  island  being  about 
300  yards.  The  high  Nile  island  itself  was 
separated  from  the  right  bank  only  by  a 
narrow  channel,  over  which  at  one  place 
there  was  a  dry  crossing. 

I    at   once    ordered    the    crossing    to   be 


THE    PASSAGE    OF    THE    NILE.  21/ 

undertaken.  Sending  the  Cornwalls  over 
in  their  boats  to  estabHsh  themselves  on  the 
high  Nile  island,  and  to  take  up  a  position 
to  cover  the  crosslnsf,  and  brineinof  half  the 
Gordons  to  the  hiorh  or-round  on  the  left 
bank,  where  I  directed  them  to  form  a 
zareeba,  I  sent  back  orders  to  Sulimanyeh 
for  the  guns  and  baggage  there  to  be 
brought  on  by  their  escort,  and  for  the 
whole  of  the  troops  and  convoy  on  their 
arrival  there,  both  by  land  and  water,  to  be 
pushed  on  to   Hebbeh. 

We  could  see  with  our  glasses  that  we 
were  being  watched  from  behind  the  sand- 
hills less  than  a  mile  out  in  the  desert  on 
the  right  bank,  and  Butler  at  once  crossed 
over  with  a  scouting-party  of  Hussars,  before 
whom  the  enemy's  scouts  retired.  About 
II  A.M.  the  bao^ofaofe  of  the  advanced  oruard 
and  two  guns  arrived  from  Sulimanyeh,  and 
the  guns  were  at  once  placed  in  position. 
Our  Hussars  formed  a  line  of  vedettes  on  a 
radius  of  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  point 
of  crossing  on  the  left  bank,  and  those  first 


2l8  HEBBEH. 

sent  across  placed  vedettes  in  commanding 
positions  about  a  mile  out  on  the  right 
bank.  About  the  same  hour,  ii  a.m.,  the 
leading  boats  of  the  Black  Watch  and  Staf- 
fords  arrived.  They  had  advanced  along 
both  banks  from  Salamat.  By  one  o'clock 
the  remainder  of  the  battery  and  the  con- 
voy arrived,  under  escort  of  half  the  camel 
corps. 

The   troops    and    baggage  were   crossed 
over  in  the  followinor  order  : — - 
Scouting-party  19th  Hussars. 
Support,    consisting    of    half   the    camel 

corps. 
Two  guns  of  the  Egyptian  battery,  with 
their  camels — having  been  replaced  in 
their  position  on  the  left  bank  by  the 
four  remaining  guns   on  their  arrival ; 
they  were  placed  in  position  on  high 
Nile  island  as  soon  as  crossed  over. 
Cavalry  baggage. 
Camel  corps  baggage. 
Remainder  of  the  19th  Hussars — having 
been  relieved  on  vedette  duty  by  the 


THE    PASSAGE    OF   THE    NILE.  219 

half    of    the    camel    corps    which    had 
escorted  the  convoy. 
Camels    of    the   four   Q-uns   on    the    left 

bank. 
Headquarter   baggage    and    horses,    and 

infantry  regimental  horses. 
The     transport     company,     camels,    and 

loads. 
The  cattle  and  donkeys. 
The  four  g-uns. 

Remaining  half  of  the  camel  corps. 
Each  animal  was  towed  over  by  a  boat, 
— its  saddle,  load,  and  driver  or  rider  being, 
as  a  rule,  ferried  across  in  that  boat.  The 
ferrying  commenced  at  1 1  a.m.  and  ended 
for  the  day  at   5.30  p.m.,  recommenced  at  20th  to 21st 

Feb. 

7  A.M.  and  finished  at  2  p.m.,  having  thus 
occupied  thirteen  and  a  half  hours  of  actual 
work,  during  which  time  780  animals,  with 
their  equipment  and  loads,  and  their  drivers 
or  riders,  and  six  guns,  had  been  taken 
across. 

The    crossing    was    effected    under    the 
superintendence    of    Colonel    Alleyne,    as- 


220  HEBBEH. 

sisted  by  all  the  staff  officers  available. 
Two  crossing-places  were  worked  at  the 
same  time ;  and  it  was  found  that  as  many 
as  fifty  boats  could  be  simultaneously  em- 
ployed, but  not  more.  The  crossing  was 
made  down-stream,  the  actual  distance  tra- 
versed being  about  400  yards. 

The  water  being  too  shallow  for  the 
boats  to  come  quite  up  to  the  dry  shore  of 
the  sandbank,  each  animal,  having  had  a 
rope  fastened  securely  round  its  head  by 
one  of  Lieutenant  Bourke's  blue-jackets,  or 
by  one  of  the  Egyptian  camel -men,  was 
led  into  the  water,  and  the  loose  end  of 
the  rope  was  handed  to  a  man  in  the  stern. 
The  boat  was  then  rowed  off  from  shore, 
and  the  animal  followed  till  out  of  its 
depth,  when  it  commenced  to  swim,  or,  in 
some  cases  of  camels,  lay  on  its  side  and 
allowed  itself  to  be  towed  across.  The 
horses  swam  freely ;  and  it  was  found  im- 
portant to  let  them  have  ample  length  of 
rope,  with  their  heads  freed  from  any 
strain.      With    the    camels^    on    the    other 


THE    PASSAGE    OF   THE    NILE.  221 

hand,  it  was  found  necessary  to  have  a 
very  short  rope,  and  to  hold  the  animal's 
head  well  above  water,  close  up  to  the 
boat.  The  camel  is  an  indifferent  swim- 
mer. He  can  make  his  way  down-stream 
for  a  short  time,  but  soon  becomes  ex- 
hausted ;  and  he  cannot  swim  against  a 
strong  stream.  The  tendency  always  is 
for  his  head  to  go  under,  and  his  hind- 
quarters to  rise  above  the  water ;  and  the 
Egyptian  artillerymen  counteracted  this  by 
sitting  astride  on  the  rumps  of  their  camels, 
thus  forcing  the  quarters  down,  when  the 
heads  correspondingly  rise.  The  camels 
which  were  least  exhausted  were  those  that 
lay  on  their  sides,  and,  with  their  heads 
held  well  up  close  to  the  hands  of  the  man 
in  the  stern,  allowed  themselves,  thus  sus- 
pended, to  be  towed  across  without  attempt- 
ing to  swim. 

The  veterinary  surgeon  with  his  assist- 
ants was  stationed  on  the  right  bank,  and 
administered  restoratives  to  any  animals 
which   appeared    exhausted    on    arrival.      I 


222  HEBBEH. 

have  noticed,  for  future  guidance,  that  the 
points  chiefly  to  be  attended  to,  in  addition 
to  the  length  of  rope  above-mentioned,  are 
the  tying  of  the  head-rope,  great  care  being 
necessary  to  prevent  its  shpping  or  getting 
round  the  animal's  nostrils ;  the  hours  of 
crossing,  which  should  not  be  very  early 
or  very  late,  but  when  the  sun  is  well  up, 
so  that  there  is  less  risk  of  chill  ;  the 
pace  of  the  boats,  which,  in  the  case  of 
horses  and  camels,  should  be  regulated  by 
their  pace  of  swimming  ;  immediate  admin- 
istration of  restoratives  to  exhausted  ani- 
mals ;  and  gentle  exercise  after  crossing 
for  all. 

We  lost  only  three  camels.  One,  the 
rope  having  broken,  floated  down  the  rapid 
water  and  was  drowned.  Two  died  from 
suffocation,  the  rope  having  slipped  and 
closed  their  nostrils.  Six  others,  nearly  all 
from  among  those  which  crossed  over  late 
in  the  evening,  suffered  subsequently  from 
epileptic  fits,  similar  to  staggers  in  a  horse. 


THE   PASSAGE    OF    THE    NILE.  223 

Of  these,  three  recovered,  and  the  rest 
died ;  though  had  they  been  able  to  rest 
for  a  few  days,  they  also  would  in  all 
probability  have  recovered.  No  casualty 
occurred  amono-  the  horses  or  cattle.  One 
donkey  died  of  exhaustion. 


224 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

HEBBEH THE    SCENE   OF   COLONEL   STEWART's 

MURDER. 

2othto2ist  While  the  crossing  was  in  progress  on  the 

Feb. 

20th,  I  visited  the  wreck  and  the  scene  of 
the  murder,  taking  with  me  those  of  the 
staff  who  could  be  spared,  and  the  com- 
mandino-  officers  of  recjiments.  We  found 
the  steamer  impaled  on  a  large  rock,  about 
two  hundred  yards  from  the  proper  right 
bank  of  the  river.  She  was  a  much  larger 
vessel  than  we  had  supposed  her  to  be. 
She  was  seventy  feet  in  length  from  stem 
to  stern,  and  twenty -two  feet  in  breadth 
over  her  paddles  :  the  depth  of  her  hold 
was  four  feet  six  inches.  Plates  of  iron  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  thick  protected  her  sides, 


SCENE    OF    COL.    STEWART  S    MURDER.       225 

pitted  with  bullet-marks,  and  torn  through 
in  places  by  case-shot  or  splinters  of  shell. 
She  lay  with  her  keel  sixteen  feet  above 
the  present  level  of  the  water,  in  a  channel 
studded  with  rocks — an  intricate  narrow 
labyrinth ;  while  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river  there  was  open  clear  water  for  nearly 
three  hundred  yards  in  breadth,  so  that  at 
the  time  of  the  wreck  there  must  have 
been  nearly  four  hundred  yards  of  open 
water  on  that  bank.  Yet  her  pilot  had 
steered  her  into  this  rocky  maze,  where, 
even  at  high  Nile,  many  of  the  rocks  must 
have  shown  above  water.  To  us  it  seemed 
incredible  that  the  wreck  was  an  accident, 
for  it  was  almost  impossible  to  believe  she 
had  not  been  purposely  steered  to  her 
destruction.  And  yet,  who  can  say  ?  At 
high  Nile  she  would  have  come  rushing 
down  the  swift  water  above,  and  a  very 
small  error  in  steering  would  have  caused 
her  to  be  swept  in   here. 

The  natives  had  stripped  her  of  every- 
thing that  could   be  of  use,  leaving  her  a 

P 


226  HEBBEH. 

mere  shell.  All  her  wood-work  had  been 
carried  away,  including  the  floats  of  her 
paddles,  and  such  iron  as  was  sufficiently 
portable.  The  after-part  of  her  hold  was 
filled  with  sand,  her  bows  were  high  out 
of  water.  A  few  torn  scraps  of  letters  and 
paper,  of  no  particular  interest,  were  lit- 
tered about ;  but  there  was  nothing  what- 
ever worth  preserving  as  a  relic. 

From  the  steamer  we  walked  by  a  dry 
causeway  to  the  mainland — right  bank — 
which  we  followed  down-stream  for  about 
four  hundred  yards,  when  we  came  to  the 
first  group  of  houses  of  Hebbeh.  We  had 
brought  with  us  Abu  Bekr,  the  uncle  of 
Suleiman  Wad  Gamr,  and  I  have  seldom 
seen  a  man  in  a  more  wholesome  state  of 
fear.  He  evidently  thought  that  we  had 
brouofht  him  here  to  execute  him  on  the 
spot.  But  he  mastered  his  terrors,  and 
pointed  out  to  us  the  house  of  Fakri  Wad 
Etman.  It  was  an  ordinary  native  mud- 
house,  the  external  entrance  being  into  a 
small  courtyard,  on  one  side  of  which  was 


SCENE    OF    COL.    STEWART  S    MURDER.       227 

the  house.  But  it  was  not  here,  Abu  Bekr 
told  us,  that  the  strangers  would  have  been 
received.  In  this  house  the  women  lived, 
and  no  strangers  would  have  been  admitted 
there.  The  murder  must  have  taken  place 
in  the  salaainlik,  or  guest-chamber — a  de- 
tached mud -hut  of  one  room  only,  some 
fifty  yards  from  the  dwelling-house.  We 
entered  this  small  room,  stooping  to  pass 
under  the  low  doorway  with  feelings  of 
awe.  But  there  was  nothing  to  remind  us 
of  the  terrible  tragedy  that  had  taken  place 
there  six  months  before.  There  were  no 
signs  of  blood.  The  floor  and  all  the 
ground  round  the  hut  had  been  carefully 
strewn  with  fine  sand. 

A  hundred  yards  in  front  of  the  door,  on 
the  river-bank,  stood  a  group  of  palms,  the 
scene  of  another  tragedy.  But  I  will  let 
the  story  be  told  in  the  words  of  one  who 
was  fortunate  enough  to  escape  from  the 
scene,  as  taken  down  from  his  own  lips  by 
Major  Slade,  through  the  medium  of  an 
interpreter,  on  the   ist  February. 


228  HEBBEH. 

STATEMENT   OF    HASSEIN    ISMAIN. 

"  I  am  the  stoker  of  the  steamer  Abbas, 
which  left  Khartoum  about  six  months  ago,  on 
a  Wednesday.  Stewart  Pasha,  two  European 
consuls,  twelve  Greeks,  five  artillery  soldiers,  four 
Arab  women  and  four  slave  women,  and  seven 
native  crew,  were  on  board.  The  captain  of  the 
steamer  was  Mahomed  Saf.  Eddin,  and  the  rciscs 
[pilots]  Ali  Bishteeli  and  Mohamed.  Two  other 
steamers  accompanied  us  to  beyond  Berber,  and 
four  nuggers  sailed  with  us,  which  were  towed  as 
far  as  Berber  by  the  two  steamers.  The  steamers 
shelled  the  forts  at  Berber,  and  when  our  steamer 
was  safely  past,  they  left  us,  and  vv^e  continued 
our  journey  with  the  four  nuggers.  We  left  the 
nuggers  behind  us,  just  before  reaching  Abu 
Hamed,  and  steamed  on. 

"  On  a  Thursday,  three  days  before  the  end  of 
the  month  of  Dhul-kadch  [iSth  September],  at 
about  nine  in  the  morning,  the  steamer  ran  on 
a  rock  about  two  feet  below  the  surface  in  Wad 
Gamr's  country.  Before  we  struck  we  had  seen 
several  people  running  away  into  the  hills  on 
both  banks.  When  we  struck,  the  small  boat 
was  filled  with  our  things,  and  everything  was 
landed  on  the  small  island.  Four  trips  were 
made  between  the  steamer  and  the  island,  and 
when    everything    of    value    had    been    landed, 


SCENE    OF    COL.    STEWART'S    MURDER.        229 

Stewart  Pasha  returned  to  the  steamer  himself, 
drove  a  nail  into  the  vent  of  the  gun,  and  filed 
the  projecting"  part  off.  The  gun  was  bolted  to 
the  deck  of  the  ship,  and  the  artillery  soldiers  set 
it  free,  and  threw  it  overboard.  Two  boxes  of 
gun-ammunition  were  also  thrown  overboard  at 
the  same  time. 

"  While  this  was  going  on,  several  people  came 
to  the  right  bank  and  shouted  out,  '  Give  us  peace 
and  grace.'  Hassan  Bey,  belonging  to  the  Tele- 
graph Department,  acted  as  interpreter  to  Stewart 
Pasha,  and  told  the  natives  that  they  would  have 
peace.  Four  or  five  natives  swam  over  to  the 
island,  and  Hassan  Bey  returned  with  them  in 
the  small  boat  to  the  right  bank,  and  saw  Sheikh 
Suleiman  Wad  Gamr,  who  was  in  a  house  near 
the  bank.  Hassan  asked  him  for  camels  to  take 
the  party  to  Merawi,  and  Suleiman  ordered  four 
camels  to  be  taken  to  the  bank  to  be  loaded  with 
the  baggage,  and  Hassan  returned.  Suleiman 
then  sent  two  men  to  the  island  to  invite  Stewart 
Pasha  to  land  and  come  to  the  house.  Every- 
body then  landed  on  the  right  bank,  taking  with 
them  all  the  baggage.  Hassan  Bey  then  went 
to  the  house  of  a  blind  man  named  Etman  Fakri, 
with  two  men  ;  and  he  was  told  by  Suleiman  to 
ask  Stewart  Pasha  and  the  two  consuls  to  come 
in  and  drink  coffee,  and  arrange  about  the  price 
to  be  paid  for  the  camels.     This  was  at   about 


230  HEBBEH. 

4  P.  M.  The  soldiers  wanted  to  accompany 
Stewart  Pasha  as  a  guard  ;  but  Hassan  Bey  said 
that  it  would  frighten  the  people,  and  the  camels 
would  not  be  given. 

"Stewart  Pasha,  the  two  consuls,  and  Hassan 
Bey  then  entered  the  house  of  Etman  Fakri. 
They  were  all  unarmed  except  Stewart  Pasha, 
who  had  a  small  revolver  on  his  belt.  After  a 
short  time,  I  saw  Suleiman  come  out  of  the  house 
with  a  copper  water-pot  in  his  hand.  He  made  a 
sign  to  the  people  who  were  standing  about  the 
village  armed  with  swords  and  spears  ;  and  im- 
mediately the  people  divided  into  two  parties, 
one  going  to  the  house  of  Etman  Fakri,  and  the 
other  rushing  to  the  place  (by  the  palms)  v/here 
the  rest  of  Stewart's  party  was  assembled.  I  was 
with  this  party,  and  when  the  natives  charged 
us,  we  threw  ourselves  into  the  river.  The  natives 
fired  at  us  and  killed  many  ;  others  were  drowned. 
I  swam  to  a  small  island,  and  remained  there  till 
it  was  dark,  when  I  swam  to  the  left  bank.  I 
remained  there  for  some  time,  and  then  made  my 
way  to  Hamdab.  There  I  was  taken  by  a  man 
called  Taha  Wad  P'adeil,  made  prisoner,  and 
taken  to  Sheikh  Omar,  uncle  of  Suleiman  Wad 
Gamr,  at  Birti.  He  told  me  to  remain  with  him 
and  not  escape,  and  he  would  treat  me  well.  I  have 
been  at  Birti  ever  since,  and  remained  there  after 
the  dervishes  ran  away  the  day  before  yesterday. 


SCENE    OF    COL.    STEWARTS    MURDER.        231 

"  I  heard  that  when  the  natives  entered  the 
house  of  Etman  Fakri,  they  fell  upon  Stewart 
Pasha  and  the  consuls,  and  killed  them  all. 
Hassan  Bey  escaped,  wounded  in  the  arm  by  a 
knife,  and  went  to  Berber.  When  the  natives 
rushed  into  the  hut,  Hassan  Bey  held  the  blind 
man  in  front  of  him,  and  thus  was  saved.  The 
captain  was  killed. 

"Two  of  the  artillery  soldiers,  the  two  reises, 
and  three  of  the  native  crew,  are  alive  at  Berber. 
Four  full-grown  slaves,  one  woman  slave,  and  two 
young  ones,  are  also  alive,  and  were  near  Birti,  in 
the  desert  looking  after  cattle,  a  month  ago.  The 
money  found  was  divided  amongst  the  natives 
who  fell  upon  the  party.  Everything  else  was 
sent  to  Berber.  Two  bundles  of  spears,  and  two 
suits  of  chain-armour,  the  property  of  one  of  the 
consuls,  were  at  Birti. 

"  All  the  bodies  of  those  murdered  were  thrown 
into  the  river." 

We  found  but  few  traces  of  the  murder : 
some  fragments  of  books,  more  of  poor 
Stev^art's  visiting-cards,  a  shirt-sleeve  stain- 
ed with  blood,  and  a  few  papers,  apparently 
belonging  to  MM.  Herbin  and  Power.  At 
Sherari  island  we  had  found  five  pages  of 
Stewart's   diary,  describing  Gordon's  entry 


232  HEBBEH. 

into  Abu  Hamed  and  Berber  on  the  way 
from  Korosko  to  Khartoum. 

We  pressed  Abu  Bekr  as  to  how  Sulei- 
man Wad  Gamr  came  to  be  at  the  scene 
of  the  wreck,  and  he  told  us  that  as  soon 
as  the  steamer  went  ashore,  Fakri  Wad 
Etman  had  sent  a  messaa^e  to  Suleiman 
Wad  Gamr  at  Salamat ;  and  that  Sulei- 
man had  immediately  ordered  his  camels, 
and  had  hastened  to  Hebbeh.  This  was 
quite  consistent  with  the  stoker's  account  of 
the  wreck  having  taken  place  at  nine,  and 
Suleiman's  first  appearance  on  the  scene 
some  time  in  the  afternoon,  when  Hassan 
Bey  went  to  Fakri  Wad  Etman's  house, 
after  all  the  baggage  had  been  removed 
from  the  steamer,  the  gun  spiked,  and  the 
ammunition  destroyed. 

Orders  were  issued  for  the  destruction  of 
the  property  of  Fakri  Wad  Etman  and  the 
2istFeb.  villaofe  of  Hebbeh  on  the  21st.  The  work 
was  superintended  by  the  officers  of  the 
Intelligence  Department,  who  searched 
everywhere  for  papers  or  relics,  boring  and 


/^ 


u' 


^^'*-. 


P' 


\~:MW. 


k'l )  ) 


c-^-zi^ 


^11^ 


'^    ''^^^'%»#     # 


ii\w*  A 


«i«k. 


.-?*»■"* 


i> 


V/''^-^ 


/ 

/  y 


ROUGH   SKETCH 
OF  R.NILE  AT  HEBBEH 


tScaJSe-   a2>otU    6 


-  Crossing  ^r  j4mmaZs 


Wt^«^^ 


J*^ 


• 


SCENE    OF    COL.    STEWART  S    MURDER. 


-jo 


digging  wherever  the  ground  seemed  dis- 
turbed. Some  skeletons  were  found,  but 
they  were  old,  and  of  Africans.  Little  or 
nothing  of  interest  was  discovered.  There 
was  no  trace  of  that  journal  of  which  Gordon 
spoke  in  such  high  terms.  Fakri  Wad  Et- 
man's  houses  were  destroyed,  his  sakyehs 
burnt,  and  his  palm-trees  cut  down  and 
set  on  fire  :  his  salaamlik  was  razed  to  the 
ground. 


234 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

HUELLA THE    END    OF    THE    MOXASSHi 

COUNTRY. 

2istFeb.  On  the  night  of  the  21st,  headquarters  biv- 
ouacked oil  the  high  Nile  island  with  the 
Cornwalls  and  Staffords,  mounted  troops, 
and  convoy.  The  Gordons  and  Black 
Watch  bivouacked  on  the  left  bank.  Butler 
reconnoitred  a  few  miles  to  the  front,  and 
reported  the  river  very  swift  for  about  two 
miles,  and  then  again  comparatively  easy. 
With  the  exception  of  an  occasional  small 
village  with  cultivation,  the  open  desert  of 
yellow  sand  reached  to  the  water's  edge. 

We  now  were  about  to  leave  the  region 
of  rocks,  and  to  enter  a  country  where  there 
was  breathing-space.  The  character  of  the 
opposition  likely  to  be  encountered  was  also 


END    OF    THE    MONASSIR    COUNTRY.       235 

chanored.  We  had  no  lono^er  to  fear  ambus- 
cades  in  ravines,  or  to  expect  to  find  rocky 
gorges  held  against  us  by  ensconced  rifle- 
men. If  the  enemy  on  the  right  bank 
meant  battle  before  our  reachincj  Abu 
Hamed,  he  must  fight  us  in  comparatively 
open  ground,  where  the  discipline  of  our 
troops,  and  the  superiority  of  our  weapons, 
must  tell  with  deadly  effect ;  and,  if  report 
was  true,  we  might  expect  here  to  meet  the 
nomad  Bisharin  Arabs,  whose  tactics  would 
probably  be  like  those  of  the  Hadendowas 
at  Teb  and  Tamai,  or  the  enemy  encoun- 
tered by  Herbert  Stewart.  The  change 
was  a  great  relief;  but  we  had  also  to 
consider  that  the  enemy  we  should  now 
encounter  would  consist  of  fresh  troops, 
undaunted  by  previous  defeat. 

The  followincj  orders  were  therefore  is- 
sued :  "In  the  further  advance  of  the 
column  by  river,  every  effort  must  be  made 
to  keep  the  boats  well  closed  up,  not  by 
constant  delays  on  the  part  of  the  leading 
boats  to  wait  for  the  remainder,  but  by  stren- 


236  HUELLA. 

uous  exertions  on  the  part  of  the  crews  of 
the  boats  in  rear  to  keep  up  with  those  lead- 
ing the  advance.  Commanding  officers  will 
impress  upon  all  non-commissioned  officers 
and  men  that  the  success  of  the  expedition, 
and  its  safety  while  moving  by  river,  depend 
mainly  upon  the  amount  of  energy  which 
they  put  into  their  work. 

"  The  advance  will  be  covered  on  the 
right  bank  by  the  mounted  troops,  who  will 
give  warning  to  the  leading  boats  of  any 
aggressive  movement  of  the  enemy.  Should 
the  officers  commanding  the  mounted  troops 
report  the  enemy  advancing  to  attack,  the 
leading  boats  will  fall  back  on  the  rear  boats 
of  the  leading  half-battalion,  and  the  rear 
half-battalion  will  close  up.  As  soon  as  the 
leading  half  battalion  is  concentrated,  the 
troops  will  be  landed  and  at  once  formed 
up  to  meet  the  attack  in  the  strongest  avail- 
able position.  All  following  battalions,  un- 
less specially  ordered  to  the  contrary,  will 
close  up  on  the  leading  battalion,  land,  and 
await  orders." 


END    OF   THE    MONASSIR    COUNTRY.       237 

The  orders  for  an  unexpected  landing 
issued  by  Major- General  Earle  on  19th 
January  were  republished,  and  attention 
called  to  their  salient  points.  The  various 
departmental  boats  were  assigned  their 
places  in  the  column. 

"  The  advance  by  land  of  the  guns  and 
convoy,  and  their  escort,  must  be  guided  by 
circumstances,"  ran  the  order,  "which  may 
change  from  day  to  day ;  therefore  no  pre- 
cise rules  can  be  laid  down,  but  all  trans- 
port must  be  kept  well  together,  must  move 
on  as  wide  a  front  as  the  nature  of  the 
ground  permits,  and  must  invariably  be  pro- 
tected by  flankers,  well  thrown  out  into  the 
desert." 

On  the  mornincj  of  the  2  2d  the  column  22dFeb. 
advanced,  the  Gordon  Highlanders  leading, 
at  6.45  A.M.  The  river  immediately  above 
our  crossing-place  was  very  swift  and  diffi- 
cult, and  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  before 
the  last  boat  was  through  it.  Two  miles  of 
swift  and  rocky  water  followed.  The  two 
leading   battalions    and    mounted    troops  — 


238  HUELLA. 

under  Colonel  Butler  —  bivouacked  at  a 
small  village  about  six  miles  above  Hebbeh, 
and  nearly  opposite  a  remarkable  rock  of 
white  marble,  standing  alone  in  the  river, 
called  Hajar  el  Baida,  "  the  white  rock." 
The  cavalry  reconnoitred  six  miles  to  the 
front,  and  saw  no  trace  of  the  enemy. 

The  remainder  of  the  column  bivouacked 
at  El  Kab,  about  a  mile  below  Hajar  el 
Baida.  Here  there  was  a  small  villas^e  with 
a  fair  quantity  of  growing  crops.  There 
was  also  a  laro-e  stone  fort  on  a  hiorh  rock 
over  the  river,  and  another  on  the  opposite 
bank,  of  precisely  the  same  nature  as  those 
already  spoken  of  at  Kabenat,  below  Birti. 
We  took  up  a  strong  defensive  position  here, 
with  a  company  on  outpost  on  a  high  de- 
tached rock  in  front,  only  accessible  by  one 
steep  path.  The  country  beyond  was  flat 
desert,  or  undulating  sand-dunes. 

Before  moving  off  from  Hebbeh  in  the 
morning,  I  had  released  a  spy  of  El  Zain. 
This  man  had  been  brought  in  by  our 
scouts,    and    after    telling    many    different 


END    OF    THE    MONASSIR    COUNTRY.       239 

stories,  had  at  last  confessed  to  being  a 
spy  of  El  Zain,  sent  by  him  to  obtain  in- 
formation of  our  strength  and  movements. 
I  suppose  he  ought  to  have  been  hanged, 
but  I  thought  he  would  be  more  useful 
alive ;  and  having  extracted  from  him  such 
information  as  he  would  give  as  to  El  Zain's 
position  and  strength,  I  let  him  see  the 
whole  force,  and  then  sent  him  back  to  El 
Zain,  bidding  him  tell  that  robber-chief 
what  he  had  seen  at  Kirbekan  and  Hebbeh. 

On  the  23d  the  boats  advanced  simul- 23d  Feb. 
taneously  from  both  camps,  moving  in 
parallel  columns  by  both  banks.  Much 
swift  water  was  encountered,  but  no  rapid 
necessitating  tracking.  By  an  early  hour 
in  the  afternoon  the  leadinof  boats  had 
reached  a  cluster  of  grass  huts  at  the  head 
of  a  swift  rapid,  said  by  Abu  Bekr  to  be 
named  Huella,  and  to  be  the  last  habita- 
tions in  the  Monassir  country. 

Before  nightfall,  by  dint  of  great  exertion, 
the  last  boat  of  the  column  had  closed  up, 
and  our  2 1 5  boats  lay  moored  side  by  side 


240  HUELLA. 

along  the  bank,  having  averaged   loj  miles 
rowing  against  very  swift  water. 

The  mounted  troops  having  reconnoitred 
five  miles  to  the  front,  reported  good  clear 
water,  and  having  seen  no  enemy,  though 
traces  of  their  camel  scouts,  fell  back  to 
Huella. 

The  convoy  and  artillery,  marching  on  a 
broad  front  over  the  undulating  desert  sand, 
also  closed  up.  On  the  way  I  had  halted 
them,  and  told  Major  Wodehouse,  who 
commanded  the  convoy  throughout,  to  make 
dispositions  to  resist  an  attack  from  the 
left  front.  The  camels  were  rapidly  parked, 
and  a  strong  front  of  fire  brought  to  bear  ; 
and  I  was  satisfied  that  the  convoy,  which 
was  moving  with  wide  -  flanking  scouts, 
would  run  no  risk  of  beino^  taken  at  a  dis- 
advantage.  The  convoy  then  moved  on 
to  Huella. 

Village  Huella  was  not,  in  any  sense  of 
the  term,  and  there  was  no  cultivation. 
It  was  apparently  only  the  temporary 
resting-place  of  nomad  Arabs,  who  brought 


END    OF    THE    MONASSIR    COUNTRY.       24.I 

flocks  and  herds  there  to  water  and  orraze. 
There  was  no  forage  for  camels,  but  we 
were  assured  that  the  following  day's  ad- 
vance through  easy  water  would  bring  us  to 
cultivation  in  the  Robatab  country.  The 
camels  had  brouo^ht  loads  of  cut  foracje 
with  them  from  El  Kab  and  Hajar  el 
Baida,  and  an  issue  of  grain  was  sanc- 
tioned. 

Shortly  after  leaving  El  Kab,  we  had  been 
hailed  by  a  camel-man  on  the  left  bank,  and 
having  ferried  him  across,  ascertained  that 
he  was  a  spy  sent  from  the  Intelligence 
Department  at  headquarters,  who  had  been 
sent  to  Berber  with  orders  to  report  his 
news  to  us  on  his  way  back.  It  differed  in 
little  from  what  we  previously  knew.  He 
brouQ^ht  back  with  him  a  messenofer  whom 
we  had  sent  from  Hebbeh  on  the  21st  with 
despatches.  This  messenger  had  been 
seized  by  some  dervishes  in  the  Shukook 
pass,  his  papers  had  been  taken  from  him, 
and  he  had  been  stripped.  The  dervishes 
were  proceeding  to  kill  him,  when  the  camel- 

Q 


242  HUELLA. 

man   from    Berber  appeared   on  the  scene, 
and  they  fled  hastily. 

In  the  evening,  a  boy  whom  we  had 
sent  with  instructions  to  try  and  reach  Abu 
Hamed,  and  bring  back  news,  returned, 
saying  that  he  had  been  stopped  by  a  party 
of  dervishes  on  the  right  bank  about  ten 
miles  from  our  camp,  and  made  prisoner, 
but  had  escaped.  He  had  gathered  from 
them  that  there  were  only  a  few  of  the 
enemy  between  us  and  Abu  Hamed  on  this 
bank,  but  that  the  Monassir  and  Robatab, 
and  a  force  from  Berber  with  Suleiman 
Wad  Gamr  and  other  sheikhs,  were  hold- 
ing a  rocky  position  on  the  other  bank,  at  a 
place  called  Shamkiyeh,  near  Jebel  Gergerib, 
and  intended  to  oppose  our  advance  there. 
They  were  not  aware  of  our  having  crossed 
all  our  mounted  troops  to  the  right  bank. 

We  bivouacked  in  a  strong  semicircular 
position  on  the  yellow  sand,  covering  our 
boats  and  mounted  troops  on  the  sandbank 
below.     At  nine  o'clock,  being  now  within 


END    OF    THE    MONASSIR    COUNTRY.       243 

the  distance,  we  fired  a  rocket  froni  the 
nearest  high  hill,  and  another  five  minutes 
later — a  preconcerted  signal  to  inform  Run- 
die's  scouts,  who  should  be  on  the  watch, 
that  we  were  within  thirty  miles  of  Abu 
Hamed.  I  walked  round  the  position,  and 
saw  that  perfect  order  reigning  which  came 
from  the  constant  repetition  and  constant 
supervision  of  the  nightly  bivouac  in  readi- 
ness to  meet  instantaneous  attack.  Troops 
peacefully  sleeping,  tired  with  the  hard 
day's  work,  beside  their  piled  arms  ;  double 
sentries  alert  and  motionless,  watching  with 
trained  eyes  every  foot  of  the  open  space 
before  the  bivouac ;  officers  on  watch  vig- 
ilant ;  perfect  silence  everywhere.  Not  once, 
in  any  camp  I  had  been  in,  had  there  ever 
been  a  sign  of  a  false  alarm.  This  day's 
work  had  been  the  best  ever  performed  by 
the  troops.  Two  hundred  and  fifteen  boats 
had  been  rowed  by  their  strong  arms 
through  ten  or  eleven  miles  of  the  swift- 
est water  possible  to   contend  with.      Our 


244  HUELLA. 

wounded  were  all  doinsi'  well.  No  death 
had  occurred  among  them  since  we  left  our 
camp  at  Dulka.  The  physical  condition  of 
the  men  was  masfnificent.  We  had  com- 
pleted  a  month  out  from  Hamdab — a  month 
of  almost  unparalleled  exertion,  passed  en- 
tirely in  the  open  air.  We  had  not  sent 
back  one  sick  man ;  we  had  had  but  one 
death  from  disease  ;  and  the  total  sick-list  of 
the  force  was  now  only  eighteen,  a  propor- 
tion of  6.4  per  1000 — a  condition  of  health 
which  I  believe  to  be  unprecedented  among 
any  troops  in  any  campaign.  The  men 
were  in  high  spirits ;  and  there  were  two 
battalions,  neither  of  which  had  yet  been  in 
action,  longing  for  the  chance  of  emulating 
those  who  had  fought  so  gallantly  at  Kir- 
bekan.  It  was  the  first  time  I  had  seen 
the  whole  force  in  one  bivouac ;  and  I  lay 
down  with  a  feeling  of  perfect  confidence  in 
their  power  to  conquer  any  host  of  Arabs 
that  the  Mahdi  could  bring  against  them 
from    the  farthest  corners   of  the   Soudan. 


END    OF   THE    MONASSIR    COUNTRY.       245 

In  four  days,  I  said  to  myself,  we  shall  be 
at  Abu  Hamed.  We  shall  open  up  the 
Korosko  desert-route,  and  our  doing  so 
will  rinof  through  the  Soudan,  and  weak- 
en  the  knees  of  the  followers  of  Mahomet 
Achmet. 


?46 


CHAPTER    XV. 


RECALL — BACK    TO    SALAMAT. 


24th  Feb.  I  HAD  issucd  ordcrs  that  to  give  the  men 
more  rest  after  so  good  a  day's  work,  rd- 
veilU  would  not  sound  till  half- past  five; 
and  it  was  seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
the  24th  before  the  first  boat  was  in  readi- 
ness to  move.  Some  letters  and  Reuter's 
telegrams  had  arrived  the  night  before  by 
camel-post ;  and  an  opportunity  thus  occur- 
ring of  sending  back  to  Korti,  I  reported  in 
the  most  cheerful  terms  to  Lord  Wolseley. 
Seeking  for  something  in  my  despatch-box,  I 
came  across  the  followinor  cuttinor  which  I  had 
taken  at  Haifa  from  the  '  Army  and  Navy 
Gazette'  of  the  13th  September  1884  : — 
"  The  opinions  whicli  were  expressed   in  this 


BACK   TO    SALAMAT.  247 

journal  as  soon  as  the  orders  were  made  known 
for  the  construction  of  those  ridiculous  row-boats 
for  the  expedition  on  the  Nile  have  been  cor- 
roborated by  the  assent  and  concurrence  of  every 
man  who  has  any  experience  of  the  country  and 
the  river.  A  more  wicked  waste  of  money  was 
never  perpetrated,  a  more  silly  quackery  was 
never  devised,  by  any  public  department  than  that 
of  which  Lord  Hartington  and  the  Duke  of  Cam- 
bridge, representing  the  War  Office  and  the  Horse 
Guards,  have  really  and  truly  been  guilty  in 
ordering  that  monstrous  armada  of  boats,  that 
unfloatable  flotilla  for  the  Nile  !  Burn  them  for 
firewood  !  Send  them  to  Jericho,  to  ply  on  the 
Palestine  canal  of  the  future !  Make  matches  of 
them  —  do  anything  with  them  !  Put  men  in 
them,  and  try  to  send  them  up  the  Nile  cataracts 
— never,  we  beg  of  you  !  " 

Well,  there  they  lay,  215  boats  of  the 
unfloatable  flotilla,  floating  above  all  the 
worst  cataracts  of  the  Nile,  within  ten 
miles  of  the  last  of  that  series  of  rapids  of 
which  it  was  said  in  every  map  published 
before  the  expedition  started,  "Between 
Gerendid  and  Mograt  cataracts  (140  miles), 
the  river  is  unnagivable  at  low  Nile."    Said, 


248  RECALL. 

and  truly  said  hitherto.  It  had  been  left 
for  British  soldiers  and  British  "  ridiculous 
row  -  boats  "  to  navigate  the  unnavigable, 
and  to  convey  an  army  of  3000  men,  with 
their  stores  and  munitions  of  war,  to  within 
twenty-six  miles  of  Abu   Hamed. 

Our  cavalry  scouts  and  patrols  had  long 
been  out.  The  leading  boats  of  the  Gor- 
dons had  just  pushed  off.  The  main  body 
of  the  cavalry  had  moved  out  of  camp. 
Colonel  Butler  was  riding  past  my  bivouac, 
when  a  messenger  arrived  with  a  despatch 
from  Korti.  I  opened  it.  It  was  mostly  in 
cipher ;  but  some  words  in  clear  caught  my 
eye,  sent  a  cold  shiver  through  me,  and 
caused  me  at  once  to  sound  the  halt. 

This  is  what  the  message  said  when  it 
had  been  deciphered  :■ — - 

'•  Korti,  20//^  Fchniary. 
"  Buller  evacuated  Gubat.  His  main  body 
went  to  Gakdul  with  all  sick  and  wounded. 
He  remains  with  about  1 500  men  at  Abu  Klea. 
The  enemy  have  now  begun  to  fire  into  his  camp 
there,  and  have  killed  and  wounded  some  of  his 
men.     He  awaits  camels  to  fall  back  on  Gakdul, 


BACK   TO    SALAMAT.  249 

which  I  hope  he  will  begin  to  do  to-morrow,  the 
2 1st  instant;  but  owing  to  the  weak  state  of  his 
camels,  all  his  men  must  go  on  foot.  I  have 
abandoned  all  hope  of  going  to  Berber  before 
the  autumn  campaign  begins.  You  will  there- 
fore not  go  to  Abu  Hamed,  but  having  burned 
and  destroyed  everything  in  the  neighbourhood 
where  Stewart  was  murdered,  you  will  withdraw 
all  your  force  to  Abu  Dom,  near  Merawi,  bring- 
ing all  the  Mudir's  troops  with  you. 

"  Please  express  to  the  troops  Lord  Wolseley's 
high  appreciation  of  their  gallant  conduct  in 
action,  and  of  the  military  spirit  they  have  dis- 
played in  overcoming  the  great  difficulties  pre- 
sented by  the  river.  Having  punished  the 
Monassir  people  for  Stewart's  murder,  it  is  not 
intended  to  undertake  any  further  military  opera- 
tions until  after  the  approaching  hot  season. 

"  Further  orders  will  be  sent  to  you  upon  your 
reaching  Abu  Dom.  Until  you  have  occupied 
the  Shukook  pass,  and  made  sure  of  every  one 
through  it,  you  had  better  keep  this  telegram 
entirely  to  yourself  and  Butler.  Of  course,  if  you 
are  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy  when  you 
receive  this,  you  must  defeat  him  before  turning 
back.  If  you  do  not  receive  this  before  you 
have  reached  Abu  Hamed,  or  are  so  near  to  it 
that  it  is  merely  a  question  of  occup)'ing  it  with- 
out opposition,   you   must  halt  there,    and  send 


250  RECALL. 

back  information  at  once  to  me,  when  I  will  start 
the  convoy  from  Korosko,  which  I  do  not  other- 
wise mean  to  despatch.  Of  course  it  is  impossible 
at  this  distance  to  give  you  positive  orders,  but 
Lord  Wolseley  has  every  confidence  in  your 
militar}^  discretion." 

But  little  time  was  needed  for  decision. 
The  cup  was  snatched  from  our  lips,  but 
we  must  bear  the  disappointment  bravely. 
The  conditions  in  which  I  found  myself 
gave  no  reasonable  excuse  for  pressing  on. 
And  lightly  as  the  message  touched  upon 
General  Buller's  difficulties,  there  was  suf- 
ficient in  it  to  give  cause  for  anxiety  as  to 
the  result  of  his  retreat.  That  he  had  not 
retired  one  hour  before  it  was  necessary  to 
do  so  was  a  certainty.  If  his  troops  should 
be  surrounded  by  vast  numbers  of  the  late 
besiegers  of  Khartoum,  who  had  already 
had  three  weeks  within  which  to  collect  to 
oppose  him,  his  situation  might  be  full  of 
peril.  I  knew  Lord  Wolseley  could  have 
but  a  handful  of  men  at  Korti,  and  the 
flower   of  his   force   was  here  in  the   River 


BACK   TO    SALAMAT.  25  I 

Column.  I  had  but  one  course  open  to  me 
— to  make  my  way  to  Abu  Dom  with  all 
possible  speed.  I  showed  the  telegram  to 
Colonel  Butler.  He  entirely  agreed  with 
me,  and  I  sent  back  the  following  reply  : — 

"  I  received  your  telegram  this  morning,  just  as 
the  troops  were  starting  up  river.  I  am,  by  the 
map,  about  twenty-six  miles  from  Abu  Hamcd. 
I  am  not  in  the  immediate  presence  of  the  enemy, 
nor  have  the  patrols,  who  have  been  six  miles 
beyond  this,  had  any  touch  of  the  enemy.  Nor 
do  I  anticipate  meeting  the  enemy  to-day,  should 
I  continue  my  advance.  My  latest  information 
is  that  the  enemy  intend  to  fight  at  Abu  Hamed, 
and  I  anticipate  opposition  if  I  advance  upon  it. 
There  is  a  cataract  between  me  and  Abu  Hamed, 
and  if  opposed,  it  might  take  some  days  before  I 
could  occupy  the  place.  I  am  confident  I  could 
beat  any  force  opposed  to  me,  but  I  feel  it  my 
duty,  in  view  of  the  facts  contained  in  the  first 
part  of  your  telegram,  to  fall  back  immediately 
to  Abu  Dom,  and  I  shall  fall  back  to  Hebbeh 
to-day.     I  shall  return  by  the  right  bank." 

By  returning  along  the  right  bank  to 
Merawi,  I  should  avoid  all  danger  of  op- 
position to  the  convoy  in  the  Shukook  pass. 


252  RECALL. 

where  a  few  men  could  cause  serious  delay. 
It  was  evidently  impossible  for  any  serious 
opposition  to  be  organised  at  very  short 
notice  on  the  right  bank. 

I  then  issued  the  following  orders  to  the 
troops  :  "  The  Brigadier-General  announces 
to  the  troops  that  since  they  entered  the 
boats  this  morning  he  has  received  a  tele- 
gram from  Lord  Wolseley,  stating  that, 
after  the  Monassir  tribe  has  been  punished 
for  Colonel  Stewart's  murder,  it  is  not  in- 
tended to  undertake  any  further  military 
operations  until  after  the  approaching  hot 
season.  The  furthest  limits  of  the  Monassir 
country  having  been  reached,  and  the  pun- 
ishment for  Colonel  Stewart's  murder  hav- 
ing been,  so  far  as  possible,  inflicted,  the 
troops  will  now  return  through  the  Monassir 
country  to  Birti.  The  column  will  there- 
fore move  upon  Hebbeh  to-day."  Lord 
Wolseley's  expression  of  appreciation  was 
also  published,  and  the  following  was  add- 
ed :  "  The  Brigadier-General  has  to  remind 
the   troops   that  the    descent    of   this  swift 


BACK    TO    SALAMAT.  253 

river  will  require  even  greater  care  than  its 
ascent.  All  will  depend  upon  the  vigilance 
of  the  men  in  the  bows,  and  the  coolness 
and  resource  of  the  men  steerinof." 

The  followino^  instructions  for  the  in- 
formation  of  officers  in  charore  of  boats 
descending  the  Nile  were  drawn  up  by 
Lieut. -Colonel  Alleyne  : — • 

"  I.  Owing  to  the  swiftness  of  the  stream,  the 
boats  will  move  over  it  at  a  rapid  rate,  conse- 
quently if  a  boat  strikes  a  rock  she  will  probably 
receive  a  severe  injury.  Accidents  of  this  nature 
can  be  avoided,  yfrj-/,  by  the  vigilance  of  the  pole- 
man,  who  should  sound  frequently  ;  secondly,  by 
not  allowing  boats  to  close  up  or  crowd  upon 
each  other  when  descending  a  rapid. 

"2.  As  a  rule,  when  descending  a  rapid  the 
crew  must  row,  otherwise  the  boat  will  not  steer. 

"  3.  The  last  two  (2)  boats  of  each  battalion 
should  be  nearly  empty,  so  that  in  the  event  of 
a  boat  being  severely  injured  in  a  rapid,  they  may 
be  able  to  take  in  her  cargo  or  return  to  her 
assistance.  All  other  boats  should  have  equal 
draught  of  water. 

"4.  Coxwains  must  follow  the  lead  given  by 
boats  with  pilots  in  them. 


254  RECALL. 

"  5.  After  descendinfT  a  rapid,  the  leading  boats 
must  halt  until  the  rear  boats  join  them. 

"  In  difficult  rapids  special  arrangements  will 
be  made  for  taking  each  boat  through  with 
Canadian  pilots." 

While  halted,  I  was  informed  that  a 
number  of  men  on  camels  had  been  seen 
in  the  desert  to  the  south-west.  Patrols 
were  sent  out,  but  the  camels  turned  out 
to  be  only  the  product  of  a  fevered  ima- 
gination. However,  some  delay  had  been 
caused ;  and  so  the  men  were  ordered  to 
dine  early,  and  then  move  down  -  stream. 
The  mounted  troops  were  ordered  to  patrol 
up-stream  and  cover  the  retirement  by  a  for- 
ward reconnaissance,  while  the  convoy  with 
an  escort  returned  towards  Hebbeh.  At 
noon  the  boats  commenced  to  move  down- 
stream, led  by  Colonel  Denison  command- 
ing the  Canadian  voyageurs.  The  column 
moved  in  reversed  order  from  its  progress 
up  -  stream.  The  Staffords  led,  followed 
successively  by  the  Black  Watch  and  Corn- 
walls.      The  Gordons  brought  up  the  rear. 


BACK   TO    SALAMAT.  255 

The  three  leadins^  battaHons  reached 
Hebbeh,  and  bivouacked  on  the  high  Nile 
island.  The  Gordons  were  halted  with  the 
convoy,  camel  battery,  and  part  of  the 
camel  corps  at  Umsyal,  a  village  three 
miles  above  Hebbeh,  where  there  was  plen- 
ty of  good  forage,  with  orders  to  destroy 
houses  and  sakyehs  before  leaving.  The 
cavalry  and  the  remainder  of  the  camel 
corps  having  patrolled  to  within  sight  of 
the  island  of  Mograt  and  seen  no  enemy, 
halted  at  El  Kab,  under  Colonel  Butler. 

The  casualties  amonofst  the  boats  were 
three  damaged  and  repaired,  and  one  total 
wreck.  The  horses  and  camels  had  suffered 
heavily  from  the  heat,  and  the  heavy  sand 
fetlock-deep.  Four  camels  and  one  horse 
died  of  exhaustion.  I  therefore  ordered  a 
halt  for  the  next  day,  except  that  all  the 
troops  and  convoy  were  to  close  up  to 
Hebbeh. 

The  evening  brought  a  messenger  with 
despatches,  all  of  earlier  date  than  that  re- 
ceived in  the  morninof,  and  not  containinor 


256  RECALL. 

orders  of  recall ;  also  messages  from  the 
Commandant  at  Abu  Dom  and  the  Vakeel, 
to  say  that  neither  for  love  nor  money  could 
they  get  any  more  messengers  to  come  to 
us.  It  did  not  matter  now  ;  we  were  going 
to  them.  But  I  have  often  since  thought, 
that  if  that  messenoer  had  not  been  so 
pressing  who  reached  us  with  the  order  of 
recall,  we  should  have  been  in  presence  of 
the  enemy  ;  we  should  have  had  another 
fight,  and  as  we  had  twice  as  many  troops 
present  as  at  Kirbekan,  probably  an  even 
more  telling  victory.  I  must  then  have 
occupied  Abu  Hamed  ;  and  the  fact  of  our 
doing  so  would,  I  believe,  have  materially 
improved  our  position  in  the  Soudan.  But 
fate  willed  it  otherwise. 
25th  Feb.  On  the  25th  the  troops  were  employed 
in  completing  the  destruction  of  the  houses 
and  sakychs  of  the  village  of  Hebbeh,  and 
on  the  island  of  El  Kun,  and  the  Gor- 
dons and  mounted  troops  closed  up  on 
the  column. 

A    detachment    of    Hussars    and    camel 


BACK    TO    SALAMAT.  257 

corps  was  sent  to  a  village  about  three 
miles  down-stream,  with  orders  to  march 
off  at  the  same  hour  as  the  boats  in  the 
morning.  Supplies  were  equalised  among 
the  regiments,  in  proportion  to  their  number 
of  boats,  and  ordered  to  be  so  divided  as  to 
bring  all  boats  to  as  nearly  as  possible  the 
same  draught  of  water. 

Orders  were  issued  to  the  following  effect  : 
The  Gordons  were  to  move  off  at  7,45  a.m., 
followed  at  successive  intervals  of  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  by  the  Staffords,  Black 
Watch,  and  Cornwalls — the  last  regiment 
furnishing  the  rear-guard.  In  every  bat- 
talion except  the  rear  battalion,  the  officer 
second  in  command  was  to  bring  up  the 
rear  of  his  battalion,  being  held  responsible 
for  bringing  on  all  boats  of  his  own  bat- 
talion, and  all  boats  of  details  movinor  with 
his  battalion  or  between  it  and  the  preced- 
ing battalion.  He  was  not  to  move  on 
himself  until  every  one  of  these  boats  that 
could  be  brought  on  had  preceded  him. 
Each  battalion,  as  previously  ordered,  was 
R 


258  RECALL. 

to  have  two  empty  boats  moving  in  rear  of 
the  others. 

The  officer  commanding  the  rear  bat- 
taHon  was  himself  to  bring  up  the  rear  of 
the  whole  column.  He  was  to  tell  off  four 
companies  of  his  battalion  as  a  rear-guard, 
and  to  move  with  this  rear-guard  in  rear 
of  all  boats  not  abandoned,  being  held  re- 
sponsible that  no  boat  of  the  column  was  left 
behind  unless  necessarily  abandoned,  and 
that  all  abandoned  boats  were  destroyed. 
On  arrival  in  camp  he  was  to  report  ver- 
bally to  headquarters  that  every  boat  had 
arrived. 

Major  Flood,  12th  Hussars,  w^as  to  cover 
the  rear  of  the  column  w^ith  the  mounted 
troops  ;  and  the  command  of  the  rear-guard 
on  shore  and  on  the  river  was  given  to 
Colonel  Butler,  to  whom  the  officer  com- 
manding the  rear  battalion  was  to  report, 
should  he  be  unable  to  reach  headquarters 
camp. 

The  number  of  repairing  boats  was  in- 
creased to  four, — one  to  move   in   rear  of 


BACK   TO    SALAMAT.  259 

each  battalion,  and  assist  in  repairing  any 
boats  that  miorht  be  damao^ed,  and  could 
not  be  repaired  regimentally. 

In  reporting  to  Lord  Wolseley  in  the 
evening,  I  said  that,  after  consultation  with 
Butler  and  Alleyne,  I  was  of  opinion  it 
would  take  six  or  seven  days  to  Birti,  and 
six  or  seven  from  that  place  to  Merawi. 
My  place  of  crossing  would  depend  on  the 
information  I  mio-ht  receive  at  Birti. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th  the  troops  26th  Feb. 
moved  as  ordered.  By  noon  the  advanced 
guard  of  mounted  troops  and  the  convoy, 
with  two  battalions  of  infantry,  were  con- 
centrated at  Amarim,  opposite  Salamat,  on 
the  right  bank,  near  the  head  of  Sherri 
island.  We  on  the  bank  rode  along  a  flat 
wady  at  some  distance  from  the  bank  the 
greater  part  of  the  way.  On  reaching 
Amarim,  I  at  once  rode  on  with  Alleyne 
and  Peel  to  inspect  the  channel  between 
the  right  bank  and  Sherri  island.  We  found 
it  impracticable  for  boats  from  its  shallow- 
ness,  and   the   distance   of   the   rioht   bank 


26o  RECALL. 

from  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Increased 
rapidly,  it  being  evident  that  very  large 
islands  lay  between. 

I  was  satisfied  that  it  would  be  now 
practically  impossible  to  combine  with  ac- 
curacy the  movements  of  the  mounted 
troops  and  of  the  boats.  We  were  now 
about  to  commence  the  descent  of  the  for- 
midable series  of  cataracts  between  Salamat 
and  Ooli ;  and  I  decided  that  my  own 
proper  place  was  with  the  boats,  and  that 
the  command  of  the  mounted  troops  and 
convoy  should  be  confided  to  Colonel  But- 
ler. Moving  a  cavalry  advanced  guard 
about  three  miles  down-stream,  and  leaving 
the  remainder  at  Amarim,  where  I  halted 
the  Cornwalls  on  their  arrival  for  the  pur- 
pose of  completing  the  mounted  troops  up 
to  six  days'  rations  from  the  boats,  I  in- 
structed Colonel  Butler  to  advance  at  7  a.m. 
on  the  27th,  sending  the  Cornwalls  by  river 
at  the  same  hour.  He  was  to  endeavour 
to  keep  touch  of  the  troops  in  boats,  but 
failing   that,  to  make  his  way  to   Hush   el 


( 


BACK    TO    SALAMAT,  261 

Jeruf,  Opposite  Birti,  and  await  the  boats 
there.  Each  party  was  to  fire  a  rocket  at 
8  P.M.  each  night  to  show  the  other  its 
position. 

My  brigade- major  and  aide-de-camp 
were  to  accompany  me  in  the  boats ;  all 
other  staff  officers,  except  the  boat  officers, 
to  accompany  the  party  on  shore.  Colvile 
was  instructed,  as  soon  as  he  thought  it 
safe,  to  join  the  Vakeel  at  Birti,  inform  him 
I  had  received  Lord  Wolseley's  orders  to 
move  to  Abu  Dom  and  take  his  troops  with 
me,  and  request  him  to  be  ready  to  march 
immediately  on  my  arrival. 

These  orders  issued,  I  entered  one  of  the 
boats  of  the  headquarter  escort  Gordon 
Highlanders,  and  by  sunset  the  three  bat- 
talions were  in  bivouac  on  Sherri  island. 
One  boat  of  the  Staffords  struck  a  rock, 
and  had  to  be  abandoned  as  a  total  wreck. 
Arms,  ammunition,  and  most  of  her  stores 
were  saved  ;  no  lives  were  lost. 

A  native  who  had  hailed  us  from  the  left 
bank  opposite  Hebbeh  in  the  morning,  was 


262  RECALL. 

brought  on  in  the  boats,  and  on  being  ques- 
tioned in  the  evening,  told  the  following 
story.  He  was  one  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
Mudir,  and  had  been  taken  prisoner  at  Am- 
bukol  by  the  Shagiyeh,  and  sold  to  Haddai  in 
the  previous  summer.  When  Haddai  was 
killed,  he  was  taken  to  Mograt — not  to  the 
island,  but  to  the  mainland  on  the  left  bank — 
where  he  worked  for  a  man  named  Moham- 
med el  Amin,  a  dervish.  In  the  evening 
of  the  25th,  hearing  the  English  were  near, 
he  escaped,  and  travelled  by  the  left  bank 
till  he  got  opposite  our  boats  in  the  morn- 
ing. He  said  that  at  Shamkiyeh  there  were 
assembled  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr  with  the 
Monassir,  and  Wad  Abu  Hegel  with  the 
Robatab,  and  many  men  from  Berber  under 
Lekalik,  all  under  the  chief  command  of  Abu 
Hegel ;  that  at  this  place  the  river  passes 
through  a  narrow  passage  between  rocks, 
and  there  is  an  old  fort  on  each  bank ;  that 
they  had  fortified  the  rocks  with  stone- 
work, and  occupied  these  old  forts,  and 
intended    to    dispute    the    advance    of    our 


BACK   TO    SALAMAT.  263 

boats.  They  had  no  artillery,  and  but  few 
rifles,  but  they  were  numerous, — far  more 
numerous  than  our  force,  —  and  had  all 
either  swords  or  spears.  They  had  heard 
of  Kirbekan,  and  knew  that  Moussa  Wad 
Abu  Hegel  and  many  dervishes  had  been 
killed.  They  knew  also  that  Khartoum 
had  fallen,  and  Gordon  had  been  killed. 
They  told  the  people  that  Gordon  was 
killed  because  he  refused  to  become  a  Mus- 
sulman, and  that  the  English,  when  they 
saw  so  many  dervishes,  would  all  throw 
their  arms  into  the  river  from  fear.  They 
had  heard,  he  said,  of  our  returning ;  and 
when  he  left  their  camp  the  previous  night, 
they  were  loading  up  provisions  on  camels, 
with  the  intention  of  following  us. 

On  our  way  down,  we  saw  signs  of  a 
hasty  retreat  having  been  made  from  Sherri 
island.  There  were  a  few  native  boats,  all 
of  which  we  destroyed,  as  we  had  done  all 
we  could  find  coming  up  the  river ;  and 
there  were  some  rough  rafts.  The  whaler 
abandoned   by  Captain    Peel    on   the    i6th 


264  RECALL. 

was  found  hauled  up,  and  the  stores  that 
had  been  left  with  her  were  gone.  Several 
natives  were  seen  watching  us  from  behind 
distant  rocks,  but  we  were  in  no  way 
molested. 


265 


CHAPTER     XVI. 

RUNNING    THE    RAPIDS — BACK    TO    HAMDALJ. 

The  boat  officers  had  decided  that  it  would  26th  Feb. 
be  impossible  to  pass  down  the  left-bank 
channel  by  which  we  had  ascended  the 
Sherari  rapid ;  and  accordingly  we  had 
turned  out  of  the  left-bank  channel,  and  our 
bivouac  on  Sherri  island  was  on  a  central 
channel  between  Sherri  and  Sherari,  at  the 
head  of  a  rapid.  In  the  descent  of  the 
river  a  different  nature  of  channel  had  to  be 
soucrht  from  that  best  suited  for  ascent.  In 
ascending,  wherever  the  river  became  too 
swift  for  rowing,  passages  had  to  be  sought 
through  which  the  boats  could  be  hauled  or 
tracked,  and  these  necessarily  were  never 
in  mid-stream,  but  always  close  to  the  bank, 


266  RUNNING   THE    RAPIDS. 

either  of  the  main  shore  or  of  an  island.  A 
very  great  rush  of  water  was  to  be  avoided  ; 
and  in  consequence  of  these  requirements, 
the  passage  by  which  the  boats  ascended  a 
rapid  was  generally  very  shallow,  and  fre- 
quently only  a  narrow  channel  among  rocks. 
To  attempt  to  descend  by  such  passages  as 
these  would  be  to  court  certain  destruction 
for  the  boats ;  and  the  main  jDoint  was  to 
find  sufficient  depth  of  water,  no  matter  how 
swift  or  turbulent  the  stream.  Consequently, 
as  a  rule,  the  descent  was  in  mid-stream  of 
that  channel  which,  in  their  upward  journey, 
the  boat  officer  had  noted  as  most  likely  to 
be  full  of  water. 

I  had  originally  intended  to  make  the 
battalions  in  turn  take  the  onerous  duty  of 
furnishinor  the  rear-cruard ;  but  on  consid- 
ering  the  question,  I  decided  to  make  the 
advanced  guard  and  rear-guard  permanent, 
chiefly  because  any  other  arrangement  in- 
volving the  transposition  of  battalions  in 
the  order  of  the  column  might  involve  delay. 
Having  selected  Colonel  Hammill  to  com- 


BACK   TO    HAMDAB.  267 

mand  the  advanced  guard  of  Gordon  High- 
landers and  the  naval  boat,  and  Colonel 
Green  the  rear  -  guard  of  Black  Watch, 
orders  were  issued  for  the  descent  of  the 
rapids  in  the  following  order  —  Gordons, 
Cornwalls,  Staffords,  Black  Watch,  com- 
mencing at  6,45  A.M. 

Instructions  were  issued  by  Alleyne  for 
the  passing  of  the  Sherri  island  rapid  to 
the  following  effect : — 

"  The  two  boats  of  each  battalion  that  are 
first  passed  down  the  rapid  will  not  put  into 
shore,  but  remain  in  the  stream  at  the  foot 
of  the  rapid,  one  near  each  bank,  ready  to 
pull  to  any  boat  that  may  require  assist- 
ance,— an  officer  and  life-belts  to  be  in  each 
boat.  The  two  boats  of  the  leading  bat- 
talion  to  be  relieved  by  the  two  leading 
boats  of  the  following  battalion,  and  so  on. 

"  The  first  set  of  boats  will  be  taken 
through  the  rapid  by  Canadian  voyageurs ; 
and  a  company  officer  will  descend  in  each 
boat,  who,  on  his  return,  should  be  able  to 
steer  a  boat  of  his  company  down  the  rapid. 


268  RUNNING   THE    RAPIDS. 

After  the  first  set  of  boats  have  passed  the 
rapid,  a  Canadian  will  be  placed  in  every 
second,  third,  or  fourth  boat,  as  may  be 
found  necessary.  At  the  hour  named  to 
start,  adjutants  of  battalions  will  collect  the 
voyageurs  of  battalions,  and  hand  them 
over  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Denison. 

"  When  the  boats  have  passed  the 
rapid  they  will  be  anchored  on  the  sand- 
bank on  the  right  bank  till  that  anchorage 
is  full,  when  they  will  be  anchored  on  the 
sandbank  on  the  left  bank. 

"  The  life-buoys  in  all  boats  to  be  always 
so  placed  that  they  can  be  thrown  without 
delay  to  a  man  in  the  water." 

The  rapid  was  run  by  all  the  boats  of 
the  column  by  10.30  a.:m.,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  rear-fTuard  and  the  rear  boats 
of  the  Cornwalls,  who  were  delayed  by  a 
boat  of  the  Cornwalls  which,  in  descending 
from  Amarim,  was  wrecked  above  our 
Sherri  island  bivouac  on  a  sunken  rock. 
Her  crew,  arms  (except  one  rifle),  ammu- 
nition, and  stores  were  saved.     The  boat 


BACK    TO    HAM  DAB.  269 

was  got  to  shore,  but  so  badly  damaged 
that  she  had  to  be  broken  up  and  burnt ; 
and  it  was  1.30  p.m.  before  the  whole  of 
the  boats  were  through  and  concentrated 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  above  the  bivouac 
of  Shoar  on  the  upward  journey.  The 
column  then  moved  forward,  well  closed 
up,  to  the  head  of  Uss  rapid.  Here  it 
was  decided  not  to  attempt  the  left -bank 
channel,  but  to  pass  round  the  western  side 
of  Little  Uss  island.  A  sharp  short  rapid, 
with  a  nasty  curve,  had  to  be  run  at  the 
turning  from  the  left-bank  channel,  into  the 
passage  between  the  two  islands ;  and  the 
naval  boat,  which  was  one  of  the  first  to 
attempt  the  passage,  struck  heavily  on  a 
rock  in  mid-stream,  in  the  swiftest  water, 
and  remained  there.  Other  boats  were 
with  difficulty  taken  to  her  assistance  by 
the  voyageurs,  her  stores  were  unloaded, 
and  she  was  got  off;  but  in  getting  her  off, 
a  boat  of  the  Gordon  Hicjhlanders  o-ot  on 
the  rock,  and  in  freeing  her,  another  boat 
of  the  Gordons  was  so  damaofed  that  she 


270  RUNNING    THE    RAPIDS. 

filled  and  sank.  This  accident  to  the  naval 
boat  caused  considerable  delay,  as,  while 
the  other  boats  were  engaged  in  rescuing 
her,  and  the  boats  damaored  in  gfoino-  to  her 
help,  the  passage  of  the  rapid  was  blocked. 
Thus  by  nightfall  only  64  boats,  Gordons 
and  part  of  Cornwalls,  were  through  the 
rapid ;  and  the  force  bivouacked  in  two 
camps  above  and  below  the  rapid  on  Uss 
island,  about  1000  yards  apart.  A  few 
natives  with  spears  were  seen,  but  they  all 
kept  out  of  our  way.  We  fired  our  signal 
rocket  at  8  f.m.,  and  were  answered  by 
Colonel  Butler  from  the  mainland,  about 
two  miles  due  west. 

Our  total  wrecks  this  day  were  three, — 
one  of  the  Gordons  and  one  of  the  Corn- 
walls,  already  described,  and  another  of  the 
Cornwalls,  which  struck  on  the  rocks  and 
filled  almost  immediately  after  leaving  the 
Sherri  island  bivouac.  The  repairing  parties 
worked  till  late  in  the  night,  repairing  other 
boats  more  or  less  seriously  damaged. 

The  following  day  would    take  us   into 


BACK   TO    HAMDAB.  2/1 

the  Shukook,  where,  if  anywhere,  the 
enemy  would  attempt  to  Interfere  with  our 
passage.  There  were  many  places  where 
the  river  passed  between  rocky  cliffs,  from 
which  a  few  riflemen  could  do  us  serious 
damaofe.  I  did  not  for  a  moment  antici- 
pate  that  any  large  force  would  be  gathered 
there ;  but  I  did  think  it  highly  probable 
that  the  enemy  would  post  a  small  body 
of  riflemen  to  oppose  our  passage,  and  that 
we  might  have  to  land  a  force  to  turn  them 
out.  Orders  were  therefore  issued  that  two 
men  would  be  in  the  bows  of  each  boat 
with  their  rifles  loaded  and  in  their  hands, 
and  with  accoutrements  and  ammunition 
ready.  In  the  event  of  any  shots  being 
fired  at  the  boats,  these  men  were  at  once 
to  return  the  fire.  The  column  was  not 
to  be  halted  for  mere  stray  shots ;  but 
should  any  serious  amount  of  firing  take 
place,  the  nearest  boats  were  at  once  to 
pull  to  shore  and  land  their  men,  the 
landing  being  covered  by  the  armed  bow- 
men.    Wooden  plugs  were  made  and  issued 


272  RUNNING   THE    RAPIDS. 

out  to  each  boat  to  stop  bullet- holes  if 
required. 
28th  Feb.  Previous  to  the  advance  on  the  morning 
of  28th,  I  saw  commanding  officers,  and 
explained  to  them  my  wishes  in  case  of  our 
being  fired  upon,  and  of  a  landing  being 
necessary.  We  then  moved  off,  halting  at 
the  foot  of  the  Uss  rapid  till  two  battalions 
and  a  half  were  concentrated  there,  and 
then  recommencing  the  advance.  My  en- 
deavour was  throughout  this  descent  of  the 
river,  as  in  the  ascent,  so  to  regulate  the 
movement  as  to  obtain  the  greatest  possi- 
ble rapidity  consistent  with  power  of  con- 
centration to  meet  any  sudden  attack. 
The  advance  throuQjh  the  Shukook  was 
unmolested.  As  my  boat  followed  the  last 
company  of  the  Gordons,  I  was  in  momen- 
tary expectation  of  hearing  the  first  shots 
fired.  It  would  have  been  so  easy  to 
shoot  some  of  our  men  in  the  boats  from 
the  rocky  cliffs,  and  to  choose  places  for 
the  riflemen  whence  they  could  easily 
escape    before  we  could    reach   them   with 


BACK   TO    HAMDAB.  273 

our  infantry.  But  not  a  shot  was  fired, 
and  not  a  human  being  was  seen  ;  and  it 
was  with  no  small  satisfaction  that  we 
emerged  from  the  rocky  defile,  and,  having 
passed  our  old  camp  at  Wady  el  Argu,  ran 
the  very  nasty  rapid  intervening  between 
it  and  the  high  Nile  island  camp  at  Kir- 
bekan,  which  we  reached  at  11.30  a.m. 
This  rapid  required  that  every  boat  should 
be  taken  down  by  voyageurs,  and  occa- 
sioned considerable  delay.  At  night  the 
Gordon  Highlanders  and  my  headquar- 
ters reached  Dulka  island,  and  bivouacked 
there,  immediately  opposite  the  old  camp 
whence  we  had  marched  for  our  fight,  and 
the  remaining  troops  bivouacked  between 
the  old  Kirbekan  camp  and  Wady  el  Argu. 
Our  rocket  was  answered  by  Colonel  Butler 
about  six  miles  W.N.W.  He  was  encamped 
on  the  north  bank,  opposite  Birti  island. 
We  had  got  through  the  day  without  the 
loss  of  a  boat. 

While  halted  in  the  afternoon  at  the  hicrh 
Nile  island  camp  of  Kirbekan,  the  Gordons 
S 


274  RUNNING   THE    RAPIDS. 

had  taken  prisoner  an  old  man,  dressed  in 
the  Mahdi's  patchwork  uniform.  He  gave 
no  information,  and  next  day  I  handed  him 
over  to  the  Vakeel,  who  pronounced  him 
old  and  half-witted,  and  let  him  go.  A 
messenger  from  Birti  brought  me  word  that 
the  Vakeel  had  gone  to  El  Koua  with  some 
of  the  troops,  but  was  expected  back  in  the 
morning.  Achmet  Effendi,  the  commander 
of  the  troops,  was  deeply  concerned  at  our 
return,  and  beo-o-ed  me  to  let  him  know  Its 
cause. 
rst  March.  On  the  I  st  March,  as  soon  as  the  troops 
had  closed  up  to  Dulka  island,  we  con- 
tinued our  advance.  We  successfully  passed 
the  troublesome  rapid  above  Castle  Camp, 
and  the  swift  water  above  Birti.  I  took 
Colonel  Butler  on  board  off  Birti  Island, 
and  dropped  down  to  his  camp,  where  I 
was  joined  by  Colonel  Colvile,  who  had 
seen  the  Vakeel,  and  arranged  for  his  start- 
insf  as  soon  as  ordered  to  do  so.  The 
boats  of  the  column  pressed  on  to  their 
rendezvous  on  the  right  bank,  opposite  the 


BACK   TO    HAMDAB.  275 

site  of  our  old  bivouac,  where  the  Vakeel 
was  now  in  camp. 

The  Vakeel,  accompanied  by  Achmet 
Effendi,  now  crossed  over  to  see  me ;  and 
it  was  arrancred  with  him  that  he  should 
start  on  the  following  morning.  There  was 
a  short  desert -route  from  Birti  to  Jebel 
Kulgeili,  but  he  preferred  marching  near 
the  river,  and  keeping  touch  of  our  boats. 
Colvile  now  again  joined  the  Vakeel's 
camp,  with  instructions  to  await  our  arrival 
at  Hamdab.  I  sent  off  a  messenger  re- 
porting arrival  to  Lord  Wolseley. 

Having  rationed  the  mounted  troops  up 
to  six  days,  the  boats  again  moved  on,  and 
entered  the  Rahami  cataract,  where  we 
were  again  obliged  to  place  a  voyageur  in 
every  boat.  Each  time  that  the  nature  of 
the  rapids  required  this  caused  delay — as 
after  taking  a  boat  down,  each  voyageur 
had  to  walk  back  to  the  head  of  the  rapid 
to  bring  down  another  boat.  We  had  only 
sixty-seven  voyageurs,  and  more  than  two 
hundred  boats  ;  so  when  only  one  voyageur 


276  RUNNINCx    THE    RAPIDS. 

was  required  for  a  boat,  each  had  to  make 
from  three  to  four  trips ;  when  two  were 
required,  each  had  to  make  seven  trips. 

Headquarters,  Cornwalls,  and  Staffords 
bivouacked  on  the  left  bank,  about  the 
middle  of  the  cataract ;  the  Gordons  on 
a  sandy  island  opposite ;  and  the  Black 
Watch,  who  had  not  yet  entered  the  cata- 
ract, about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  above. 
The  men  were  now  becoming  as  skilful 
in  the  descent  as  they  had  become  in  the 
ascent  of  the  rapids.  An  excellent  system 
of  leaving  boats  at  important  places  to 
point  out  the  route  to  be  taken  had  been 
perfected  by  Colonel  Alleyne.  Boats 
followed  at  regular  intervals  keeping  to 
the  track  of  the  pilot-boat,  and  the  words 
"  slower  "  or  "  faster  "  were  passed  down 
the  line  with  rapidity.  But  we  could  not 
avoid  accidents  :  two  boats  of  the  Staffords 
had  to  be  abandoned  to-day,  and  two  were 
badly  damaged,  but  repaired.  Still,  we  had 
lost  no  lives,  and  but  few  stores. 
2d  March.      On    the    2d   the   advance  was   resumed. 


BACK   TO    HAM  DAB.  277 

Rahami  cataract  was  successfully  negotiated; 
and  we  entered  the  swift  water  at  the  top 
of  Umhaboah  cataract.  Near  our  old  camp 
at  Warag  we  were  halted,  while  Colonels 
Denison  and  Alleyne  examined  the  river 
in  front.  Alleyne  returned  presently  and 
told  me  there  was  a  choice  between  two 
passages.  That  to  the  right  was  straight, 
but  there  was  a  clear  fall  of  nearly  three  feet 
at  one  place.  That  to  the  left  had  no 
actual  waterfall,  but  it  was  a  rushing  in- 
clined plane,  its  worst  feature  being  that 
the  channel  was  narrow,  and  turned  at 
right  angles  in  the  very  worst  part  of  the 
shoot.  They  had  elected  for  this  latter 
passage ;  but  considered  no  one  should 
descend  it  except  the  necessary  two  voy- 
ageurs  (bowman  and  steerer),  and  the  six 
men  required  to  row  each  boat.  All  others 
were  ordered  to  walk,  and  all  arms  were 
portaged. 

The  voyageurs  walked  to  see  the  shoot, 
before  attempting  to  pass  it.  They  said  it 
was  bad,  but  practicable.     To  me  it  seemed 


2/8  RUNNING   THE    RAPIDS. 

as  bad  as  bad  could  be.  The  channel  turned 
to  the  left,  and  then  sharply  at  right  angles 
to  the  right.  Just  at  this  turn,  two  great 
rocks  stood  out  in  mid -stream.  It  was 
necessary  to  pass  between  them.  The  least 
error  in  steering  would  be  fatal.  To  make 
the  turn  too  soon  would  brincr  the  boat  on 
to  the  right-hand  rock ;  to  wait  too  long 
would  sweep  her  on  to  the  left-hand  rock. 
Sitting  under  the  shadow^  of  a  great  rock,  I 
watched  this  triumph  of  skill  over  a  difficulty 
that  to  any  one  unaccustomed  to  such  work 
would  have  seemed  insuperable.  Boat  after 
boat  came  down  at  lightning  -  speed,  the 
men  giving  way  with  might  and  main  to 
give  steering  power ;  the  bowmen  standing 
cool  and  collected  watching  the  water,  and 
only  using  the  oar  should  the  steersman 
seem  to  need  help ;  the  steersmen  bringing 
round  the  boat  with  marvellous  judgment 
at  the  rio^ht  moment.  Now  and  then  an 
error  of  half  a  second  broucrht  a  boat  on  to 
the  edge  of  the  left-hand  rock,  and  she  rose 
and  fell  like  a  horse  jumping  a  fence.     But 


BACK   TO    HAMDAB.  279 

in  the  day's  work  only  one  boat  of  the 
Gordons  and  one  of  the  Staffords  were 
wrecked.  Half  the  force  bivouacked  below 
this  shoot  at  our  old  camp  of  MIshami 
ridge  ;  half  above  it  at  Warag. 

The  Mudir's  troops  bivouacked  at  Kab 
el  Abd,  and  we  established  heliographic 
communication  with  Colonel  Butler  at 
Shebabit.  We  had  entered  again  into  the 
land  of  the  friendly  Shagiyehs,  and  the  first 
sakyeh  we  had  seen  at  work  since  leaving 
Hamdab  a-roaned  out  its  creakino^  welcome 
to  us  opposite  Gamra. 

The  two  rear  battalions  were  ordered 
to  close  up  on  the  following  morning,  the 
advance  of  the  leadinof  battalions  to  be 
postponed  till  this  was  complete. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  passage  of  this  3d  March, 
rapid  was  continued.  As  one  boat  was 
coming  through,  her  rudder  broke ;  she 
struck  a  rock,  and  the  voyageur  in  the  bow 
was  thrown  by  the  shock  into  the  water. 
He,  fortunately,  clung  to  the  rock,  and  got 
upon  it.     A  boat  was  lowered  down  to  him 


28o  RUNNING    THE    RAIMDS. 

by  a  rope  from  the  shore  by  other  voyageurs, 
and  he  was  brought  safely  to  land.  This, 
and  the  length  of  time  required  for  the 
return-trips  of  the  voyageurs,  made  it  half- 
past  eleven  before  all  boats  were  through, 
and  in  readiness  to  advance. 

Passincr  through  Kab  el  Abd,  we  looked 
in  vain  for  the  cataract  that  was  "  like  the 
big  gate  of  Semneh  "  as  we  went  up.  It  had 
entirely  disappeared.  This  was  only  one  of 
the  many  striking  changes  in  the  nature  and 
appearance  of  the  river  between  our  ascent 
and  descent.  The  Nile  evidently  entirely 
changes  its  character  at  each  place  with  its 
change  of  level,  and  no  map  of  the  river 
drawn  at  any  one  season  can  be  even 
approximately  correct  for  another  season. 
We  made  good  progress  to  the  head  of  the 
fourth  cataract.  Here  again  it  was  decided 
not  to  attempt  the  channel  to  the  west  of 
Suffi  island  by  which  the  boats  had  ascend- 
ed, but  to  descend  the  main  channel  on 
the  left  bank.  It  w^as  a  lono-  straight  run 
of  a   mile   and  a   half  or   more  (distances 


HACK   TO    HAM  DAB.  28 1 

are  hard  to  measure  when  flying  Hke  an 
express  train)  of  water  broken  and  rough, 
studded  with  rocks  both  seen  and  unseen — 
a  dangerous  rapid  to  the  unskilled  or  care- 
less, yet  safe  to  the  trained  eye  and  skilled 
hand. 

As  my  boat  shot  down  we  passed  the 
adjutant  of  the  Gordons,  with  his  boat 
stuck  fast  in  the  very  centre  of  the  boiling 
rapid — a  useful  beacon  to  the  following 
boats.  His  was  not  the  only  boat  that 
struck.  Four  others  of  the  same  battalion 
were  on  rocks.  Three  were  repaired,  but 
two  of  the  five  sank  and  were  abandoned. 
The  quartermaster  was  thrown  into  the 
water,  and  lost  all  his  kit.  The  adjutant 
had  a  narrow  escape  for  his  life.  Thrown 
into  the  water,  as  his  boat  sank,  his  head 
struck  a  sharp  rock,  and  he  was  severely 
cut.  The  arms,  ammunition,  and  men's 
bedding  in  his  boat,  and  all  lives,  were 
saved.  The  Black  Watch,  also,  had  to 
abandon  a  boat  that  struck  on  a  rock 
near    Kabour.      But    by    sunset,   thanks   to 


282  RUNNING    THE    RAPIDS. 

the  admirable  exertions  of  the  men,  and 
the  skill  of  the  voyageurs,  all  wrecked 
crews  were  brought  to  shore.  All  the 
Gordons  and  eleven  boats  of  the  Cornwalls 
bivouacked  below  the  rapid,  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  troops  above. 

The  Mudir's  troops  encamped  half  a  mile 
north  of  us  on  the  left  bank ;  Colonel  But- 
ler's party  on  the  right  bank,  opposite  the 
end  of  Ooli  island. 

Orders  were  issued  for  the  troops  to  close 
up  below  the  cataract  before  advancing  in 
the  morning;  and  to  Colonel  Butler  to  march 
to  Abu  Dom,  select  a  place  and  make  pre- 
parations for  his  crosssing. 
4tii  March.  On  the  4th  the  remaining  boats  passed 
through  the  fourth  cataract  with  a  loss  of 
three  boats  wrecked,  and,  alas !  with  the 
first  fatal  accident  in  all  our  downward  jour- 
ney. The  course  to  be  steered  through 
the  cataract  was  a  very  tortuous  one.  The 
boats  had  to  go  from  mid-stream  over  close 
to  the  right  bank,  and  there  pass  between 


BACK   TO    HAM  DAB.  283 

a  rock  and  the  shore,  turning  agahi  to  the 
left  into  mid-stream.  Officers  and  a  voya- 
ofeur  were  stationed  with  their  boats  on  the 
rocky  islands  to  show  the  direction  to  be 
taken,  but  unfortunately  a  boat  stuck  across 
the  stream,  in  the  narrow  channel  near  the 
right  bank,  blocking  it.  Instead  of  the  re- 
maining boats  being  turned  in  to  the  bank 
to  wait  till  the  channel  was  clear,  they  were 
by  some  error  directed  off  into  mid-stream, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  boats  of  three 
battalions  shot  over  a  fall  of  about  three 
feet,  like  a  Thames  weir  in  flood.  That  only 
one  accident  occurred  is  marvellous.  One 
boat  having  safely  shot  the  weir,  through 
some  error  in  steerino-  struck  a  rock  vio- 
lently,  and  upset.  Unfortunately  she  had 
in  her  two  wounded  men,  both  of  whom, 
with  a  sergeant,  were  drowned.  One  of  the 
wounded  men,  private  Barber,  had  been  spe- 
cially distinguished  by  his  gallant  conduct  at 
Kirbekan.  A  wounded  private  of  the  Black 
Watch  also  died  on  board  his  boat  in  pass- 


284  RUNNING    THE    RAPIDS. 

ing  through  the  cataract.  His  leg  had  been 
amputated  above  the  knee,  and  it  was  an 
almost  hopeless  case. 

It  was  nearly  noon  before  the  running  of 
this  rapid  was  complete,  and  we  then  moved 
down  the  river.  A  halt  was  made  at  Jebel 
Kulgeili,  to  concentrate  two  battalions,  and 
the  advance  was  continued  to  Hamdab, 
where  three  and  a  half  battalions  concen- 
trated in  bivouac.  The  rear-guard  half- 
battalion  Black  Watch,  with  two  damaged 
boats  of  the  Staffords  and  six  of  the  Corn- 
walls,  were  still  in  rear. 

The  Mudir's  troops  bivouacked  at  Dugi- 
yet ;  the  mounted  troops  at  Kasingar,  oppo- 
site Belal. 

We  had  descended  in  nine  days  what  it 
had  taken  us  thirty-one  days  to  ascend. 


285 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE  BREAK-UP  OF  THE  COLUMN BACK 

TO  KORTI. 

At  Hamdab  I  received  a  telegram  from 
Korti.  General  Buller's  name  at  the  head 
was  sufficient  to  tell  us  the  retreat  had  been 
safely  accomplished  from  Abu  Klea.  The 
telegram  directed  me  to  leave  Colonel  But- 
ler  in  command  at  Abu  Dom  with  the  Black 
Watch,  a  troop  of  Hussars,  the  Egyptian 
camel  corps,  two  guns  of  the  Egyptian 
battery,  a  detachment  of  Engineers,  and  a 
hundred  transport  camels,  with  all  the  ra- 
tions I  could  spare,  and  to  bring  the  rest 
of  the  column  to   Korti. 

On    the  morning  of  the   5th  we    moved  5th  March. 
on  to  Abu  Dom.     The  rapid  water  between 


286  BREAK-UP    OF    THE    COLUMN. 

Hamdab  and  Belal  offered  no  difficulty  of 
importance,  and  by  12.30  r.M.  two  battalions 
had  closed  up,  and  the  mounted  troops  had 
reached  the  right  bank  at  Merawi.  At 
1.40  i'.:\i.,  after  the  men's  dinners,  the  boats 
of  the  Gordons  and  Staffords  commenced 
to  take  across  the  animals  and  their  loads, 
and  by  sunset  the  greater  number  of  them 
were  across,  and  all  the  infantry  in  bivouac 
together. 

The  Mudir's  troops  I  had  halted  at 
Duaim,  three  miles  short  of  Abu  Dom. 
Orders  arrived  for  them  to  be  sent  to  hold 
Hamdab,  for  which  place,  on  my  recom- 
mendation, Dugiyet  was  afterwards  substi- 
tuted, as  being  nearer  the  supplies  of  Belal, 
and  at  the  entrance  of  the  Berber  road. 
6th  March.  The  early  part  of  the  6th  was  occupied 
in  ferrying  across  the  remainder  of  the  ani- 
mals, and  in  the  transfer  of  supplies  from 
the  reofinients  oroin^-  to  Korti  to  the  com- 
missariat  officer  detailed  to  remain  at  Abu 
Dom.  A  committee  consisting  of  Colonel 
Butler,  Colonel  AUeyne,  Lieutenant-Colonel 


BACK   TO    KORTI.  287 

Colvile,  Major  Slade,  Captain  Courtenay, 
and  Lieutenant  Colborne,  met  and  went 
over  the  survey  together,  deciding  upon  the 
names  of  the  various  cataracts,  islands,  vil- 
lages, hills,  and  districts  through  which  we 
had  passed.  This  was  no  easy  task,  as  the 
same  places  seem  to  be  known  by  many  dif- 
ferent names ;  and  when  the  sound  of  a 
name  was  agreed  upon,  it  was  no  easy  mat- 
ter to  spell  the  word.  Major  Colborne's 
map,  attached  to  this  volume,  represents  the 
fruit  of  their  joint  revision. 

A  violent  dust-storm  blew  throuofhout  the 
day,  but  dropped  towards  evening  ;  and  at 
five  o'clock  I  held  a  review  of  the  River 
Column — the  first  and  the  last  time  it  was 
ever  inspected  on  parade.  The  horses, 
though  their  feet  were  tender  from  w^ant  of 
shoes,  did  not  show  any  other  signs  of  un- 
fitness. The  camels  of  the  camel  corps 
and  battery  seemed  none  the  worse  for 
their  crossing.  Two  thousand  of  the  finest 
fighting  men  that  it  ever  was  any  man's  lot 
to  commantl  were  inspected  in  line,  marched 


288  BREAK-UP    OF   THE    COLUMN. 

past,  re-formed  in  line  of  quarter-columns, 
and  advanced  in  review  order.  Having 
said  a  few  farewell  words  to  commanding 
officers,  I  bade  the  column,  as  "  The  River 
Column,"  good-bye. 

The  voyageurs  were  drawn  up  at  the 
flagf-staff  under  command  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Denison.  Out  of  the  contingent 
of  377  men  that  left  Canada,  ten  had  died, 
six  of  whom  had  been  drowned  in  the  Nile. 
Their  six  months'  engagement  expiring  on 
9th  March,  eighty-nine  of  them  had  re- 
engaged, and  sixty-seven  of  those  had 
ascended  the  Nile  with  the  River  Column. 
Without  them,  the  ascent  of  the  river,  if 
not  impossible,  would  have  been  far  slower, 
and  attended  with  far  greater  loss  of  life. 
Without  them,  the  descent  of  the  river 
would  have  been  impossible.  Officers  and 
men,  they  had  worked  with  unceasing  energy 
and  a  comj^lete  disregard  of  danger. 

The  Vakeel  had  been  met  at  Duaim  by 
an  order  for  him  at  once  to  hand  over  his 


BACK   TO    KORTI.  289 

duties  to  Izzedin  Bey,  and  to  consider  him- 
self dismissed.  Another  commander  was 
also  being  sent  up  to  replace  Achmet 
Effendi.  Both  these  acts  appear  to  have 
been  the  Mudir's  own,  without  reference  to 
Lord  Wolseley.  The  first,  the  dismissal  of 
the  Vakeel,  was  beyond  his  powers  ;  and 
the  Vakeel  was  reinstated  later,  and  sent 
to  replace  the  Mudir  himself  at  Dongola. 
As  soon  as  he  saw  that  the  English  were 
really  strong  and  in  earnest,  he  had  done 
his  best  to  help  us.  I  had  no  fault  to  find 
with  him,  or  with  Achmet  Effendi,  and  I 
publicly  thanked  them  on  the  parade,  at 
which  they  both  were  present. 

Achmet  Effendi,  however,  expressed 
strong  objections  to  being  sent  to  garrison 
Dugiyet.  The  fact  was,  that  information 
had  arrived  that  the  enemy  reoccupied 
Birti  the  day  after  the  Mudir's  troops  left 
it.  Rumour  exaggerated  their  numbers  ; 
and  a  force  of  6000  men  was  said  to  be 
there  under  Lekalik,  Suleiman  Wad  Gamr, 

T 


March. 


290  BREAK-UP    OF   THE    COLUMN. 

and  Abu  Hegel,  while  an  army  under  Mo- 
hammed El  Kheir  was  said  to  be  ad- 
vancing from  Berber  by  the  river  to  join 
them. 
7th  to  8th  On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  having  said 
good-bye  to  Butler  and  his  troops,  I  started 
with  the  boats,  and  early  on  the  8th  handed 
over  my  command  at  Korti.  The  River 
Column  then  ceased  to  exist. 

In  justice  to  those  on  whom  the  great 
burden  of  the  work  fell,  I  will  end  this  nar- 
rative with  the  last  paragraph  of  my  final 
report  to  Lord  Wolseley :  "  I  cannot,"  I 
said,  "  close  this  report  without  dwelling 
upon  the  splendid  behaviour  of  the  regi- 
mental officers,  non-commissioned  officers, 
and  men  of  this  column.  The  life  of  the 
men  has  been  one  of  incessant  toil  from  the 
first  to  the  last  day  of  the  expedition.  In 
ragged  clothing,  scarred  and  blistered  by 
the  sun  and  rough  work,  they  have  worked 
with   constant    cheerfulness    and    unceasing 


BACK   TO    KORTI.  291 

energy.  Their  discipline  has  been  beyond 
reproach  ;  and  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that 
no  finer,  more  gallant,  or  more  trustworthy 
body  of  men  ever  served  the  Queen  than 
those  I  have  had  the  honour  to  command 
in  the  River  Column." 


THE     END. 


PRINTED    nV    WILLIAM    BLACKWOOD    AND   SONS. 


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FROM     MERAWI     TO     HUELLA 


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X    -Marirs    Actum,  of  I[irhe?ccuv 
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i 


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WILLIAM   BLACKWOOD   AND   SONS.  11 


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HOMER.  The  Odyssey.  Translated  into  English  Verse  in  the 
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The  Iliad.     Tran.slated  by  P.  S.  Worsley  and  Professor 

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HOSACK.     Mary  Queen  of  Scots  and  Her  Accusers.     Containing  a 

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HL^NTER.     Santo,  Lucia,  &  Co.  in  Austria.     By  Ella  Hunter, 

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WILLIAM   BLACKWOOD   AND   SONS.  13 


INDEX  GEOGRAPHICUS  :  Being  a  List,  alphabetically  arranged, 

of  the  Principal  Places  on  the  Globe,  with  the  Countries  and  Subdivisions  of 
the  Countries  in  which  they  are  situated,  and  their  Latitudes  and  Longitudes. 
Applicable  to  all  Modei-n  Atlases  and  Maps.     Imperial  8vo,  pp.  676,  21s. 

JEAN  JAMBON.  Our  Trip  to  Blunderland  ;  or,  Grand  E.xcur.sion 
to  Blundertown  and  Back.  By  Jean  Ja.mbon.  With  Sixty  Illustrations 
designed  by  Charles  Doyle,  engraved  by  Dalziel.  Fourth  Thousand. 
Handsomely  bound  in  cloth,  gilt  edges,  6s.  6d.  Cheap  Edition,  cloth,  3s.  6d. 
In  boards,  2s.  6d. 

JOHNSON,     The  Scots  Musical  Museum.     Consisting  of  upwards 

of  Si.K  Hundred  Songs,  with  proper  Basses  for  the  Pianoforte.  Originally  pub- 
lished by  James  Johnson  ;  and  now  accompanied  with  Cojiious  Notes  and 
Illustrations  of  the  Lyric  Poetry  and  Music  of  Scotland,  by  the  late  William 
Stenhouse;  with  additional  Notes  and  Illustrations,  by  David  Laing  and 
C.  K.  Shabpe.     4  vols.  8vo,  Roxburghe  binding,  ^^2,  12s.  6d. 

JOHNSTON.     The    Chemistry   of  Common    Life.     By    Professor 

J.  F.  W.  Johnston.  New  Edition,  Revised,  and  brought  down  to  date.  By 
Arthur  Herbert  Church,  M.A.  Oxon.  ;  Author  of  'Food:  its  Sources, 
Constituents,  and  Uses; '  'The  Laboratory  Guide  for  Agricultural  Students  ;' 
'Plain  Words  about  Water,' &c  Illustrated  with  Maps  and  102  Engravings 
on  Wood.     Complete  in  one  volume,  crown  8vo,  pp.  618,  7s.  6d. 

Elements  of  Agricitltural  Chemistry  and  Geology,  Thir- 
teenth Edition,  Revised,  and  brought  down  to  date.  By  Charles  A. 
Cameron,   M.D-,  F.R.C.S.I.,  &c.     Fcap.  8vo,  6s.   6d. 

Catechism  of  Agricultural    Chemistry  and    Geology.     An 

entirely  New  Edition,  revised  and  enlarged,  by  Charles  A.  Cameron,  M.D., 
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JOHNSTON,  Patrick  Hamilton  :  a  Tragedy  of  the  Reformation 
in  Scotland,  1528.  By  T.  P.  Johnston.  Crown  8vo,  with  Two  Etchings  by 
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KENNEDY.     Sport,  Travel,   and   Adventures   in   Newfoundland 

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by  tlie  Author.     In  one  vol.  Svo.  [In  the  press. 

KING.  The  Metamorphoses  of  Ovid.  Tran.«lated  in  En,<,dish  Bhmk 
Verse.  By  Henry  King,  M.A.,  Fellow  of  Wadham  Collejie,  Oxford,  and  of 
the  Inner  Temjile,  Barrister-at-Law.     Crown  Svo,  ros.  6d. 

KINGLAKE.     Hi.xtory  of  the  invasion  of  the  Crimea.     By  A.  W, 

Kinglake.  Cabinet  Edition.  Seven  Volumes,  crown  8vo,  at  6s.  each.  The 
Volumes  resiiectively  contain  : — 

I.  The  Origin  of  the  War  between  the  Czar  and  the  Sultan. 
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IV.  Sebastopol  at  Bay.     With  10  Maps  and  Plans. 

V.   The  Battle  of  Balaclava.     With  lo  Maps  and  Plans. 
VI.  The  Battle  of  Inkerman.     With  11  Maps  and  Plans. 
VII.  Winter  Troubles.     With  Map. 

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Svo.  [In  preparalion. 

Eothen.    A  New  Edition,  uniform  with  the  Cabinet  Edition 


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LAING.     Select  Remains  of  the  Ancient   Popular  and   Romance 

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Re-edited,  with  Memorial-Introduction,  by  John  Smali,  M.A.  With  a  Por- 
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LETTERS  FROM  THE  HIGHLANDS.      Reprinted  from  'The 

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WILLIAM  BLACKWOOD   AND   SONS.  15 


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WILLIAM   BLACKWOOD   AND   SONS.  19 


PAUL.     Analysis  and  Critical  Interpretation  of  the  Hebrew  Text  of 

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PETTIGREW.  The  Handy  Book  of  Bees,  and  their  Profitable 
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PHILOSOPHICAL    CLASSICS    FOR    ENGLISH    READERS. 

Companion  Series  to  Ancient  and  Foreign  Classics  for  English  Rea<lf!rs. 
Edited  by  William  Knight,  LL.  D.,  Professor  of  Moral  Philosophy,  Uni- 
versity of  St  Andrews.     In  crown  8vo  volumes,  with  portraits,  price  3s.  6d. 

1.  Descartes.     By  Professor  Mahaffy,  Dublin. 

2.  Butler.    By  the  Rev.  W.  Lucas  Collins,  M.A.,  Honorary  Canon  of  Peterborough. 

3.  Berkeley.     By  Professor  A.  Campbell  Eraser,  Edinburgh. 

4.  FiCHTE.     By  Professor  Adamson,  Owens  College,  Manchester. 

5.  Kant.     By  Professor  Wallace,  Oxford. 

6.  Hamilton.    By  Professor  Veitch,  Glaseow. 

7.  Heoel.     By  Professor  Edward  Caird,  Glasgow. 

8.  Leibniz.     By  J.  Theodore  Merz. 

9.  Vico.     By  Professor  Flint,  Edinburgh. 

POLLOK.    The  Course  of  Time  :  A  Poem.     By  Robert  Pollok, 

A.M.  Small  fcap.  8vo,  cloth  gilt,  2s.  6d.  The  Cottage  Edition,  32mo,  sewed, 
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PORT  ROYAL  LOGIC.  Translated  from  the  French  :  with  Intro- 
duction, Notes,  and  Appendix.  By  Thomas  Spencer  B.^.ynes,  LL.  D.,  Pro- 
fessor in  the  University  of  St  Andrews.     Eighth  Edition,  i2mo,  4s. 

POST-MORTEM.     Third  Edition,  is. 

By  the  same  Author. 
The    Autobiography    of    Thomas    Allen.      3  vols,    post   8vo, 

25s.  6d. 
The  Apparition.     Cro'WTi  8vo,  with  Frontispiece,  5s. 
Simiocracy :    A  Fragment  from  Future  History.     Crown  8vo. 

IS.  6d. 

POTTS  AND  DARNELL.  Aditus  Faciliores  :  An  easy  Latin  Con- 
struing Book,  with  Complete  Vocabulary.  By  A.  W.  Potts,  M.A.,  LL.D., 
Head-Master  of  the  Fettes  College,  Edinburgh,  and  sometime  Fellow  of  St 
John's  College,  Cambridge;  and  the  Rev.  C.  Darnell,  M.A.,  Head-Master  of 
Cargilfleld  Preparatory  School,  Edinburgh,  and  late  Scholar  of  Pembroke  and 
Downing  Colleges,  Cambridge.     Eighth  Edition,  fcap.  8vo,  3s.  6d. 

Aditus  Faciliores  Graeci.    An  easy  Greek  Construing  Book, 

with  Complete  Vocabulary.     Third  Edition,  fcap.  8vo,  3s. 

PRINGLE.     The  Live-Stock  of  the  Farm.    By  Robert  0.  Pringle. 

Third  Edition,  crown  8vo.  [In  the  press. 

PRINGLE.     Towards  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon.     A  Journey  in. 

East  Africa.     Bv  Mrs  Pringle  of  Whytbank,  Yair.     With  a  Map,  8vo,  12s.  6d. 

PUBLIC  GENERAL  STATUTES  AFFECTING  SCOTLAND, 

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PUBLfc  ^GENERAL  STATUTES    AFFECTING    SCOTLAND, 

COLLECTION  OF.     Published  Annually  with  General  Index. 

RAMSAY.     Rough  Recollections  of  Military  Service  and  Society. 

By  Lieut. -Col.  Balcakres  D.  Wardlaw  Ramsay.     Two  vols,  post  Svo,  21."!. 

RANKINE.     a  Treatise  on    the  Rights  and  Burdens  incident  to 

the  Ownership  of  Lands  and  other  Heritages  in  Scotland.  By  John  Rankine, 
M.A.,  Advocate.  Second  Edition,  Revised  and  Euhirged.  In  One  large 
Volume,  Svo,  45s. 

RECORDS  OF  THE  TERCENTENARY  FESTIVAL  OF  THE 

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150  copies  printed  for  sale  to  the  public. 


20  LIST   OF   BOOKS   PUBLISHED   BY 


REID.     A  Handy  Manual  of  German  Literature.     By  M.  F.  Reid. 

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RIMMER.      The  Early  Homes   of  Prince   Albert.      By  Alfred 

RiMMER,  Author  of  'Our  Old  Countrj^  Towns,'  kc.  Beautifully  Illustrated 
with  Tinted  Plates  and  numerous  Engravings  on  Wood.    8vo,  21s. 

ROBERTSON.  Orellana,  and  other  Poems.  By  J.  Logie  Robert- 
son.    Fcap.  8vo.     Printed  on  hand-made  paper.    6s. 

Oitr  Holiday  Among  the  Hills.     By  James  and  Janet 

Logie  Robertson.    Fcap.  8vo,  3s.  6d. 

ROSCOE.     Rambles  with  a  Fishing-rod.    By  E.  S.  Roscoe.    Crown 

8vo,  4S.  6d. 

ROSS.     Old   Scottish   Regimental   Colours.     By   Andrew   Ro.ss, 

S  S.C.,  Hon.  Secretary  Old  Scottish  Regimental  Colours  Committee.  Dedi- 
cated by  Special  Permission  to  Her  Majesty  the  Queen.  In  one  vol.  folio, 
handsomely  bound  in  cloth,  £2,  12s.  6d. 

RUSSELL.      The  Haigs  of  Bemersyde.     A  Family  History.     By 

John  Russell.    Large  octavo,  with  Illustrations.     21s. 

RUSTOW.     The  War  for  the  Rhine  Frontier,  1870:  Its  Political 

and  Military  History.  By  Col.  W.  Rustow.  Translated  from  the  German, 
by  John  Layland  Needham,  Lieutenant  R.M.  Artillery.  3  vols.  8vo,  with 
Maps  and  Plans,  ^i.  iis.  6d. 

SCHETKY.     Ninety  Years  of  Work  and  Play.     Sketches  from  the 

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SCOTCH  LOCH  FISHING.     By  "  Black  Palmer."     Crown  8vo, 

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SELLAR.      Manual   of   the  Education   Acts  for    Scotland.      By 

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fixed the  New  Acts  and  Recent  Decisions.  By  J.  Edward  Graham,  Advocate. 
8vo,  15s. 

SELLER  AND  STEPHENS.     Physiology  at  the  Farm  ;  in  Aid  of 

Rearing  and  Feeding  the  Live  Stock.  By  William  Seller,  M.D.,  F.R.S.E., 
Fellowof  the  Royai  College  of  Physicians,  Edinburgh,  formerly  Lecturer  on 
Materia  Medica  and  Dietetics  ;  and  Henry  Stephens,  F.R,S.E.,  Authorof '  The 
Book  of  the  Farm,'  &o.     Post  8vo,  with  Engravings,  i6s. 

SETON.   Memoir  of  Alexander  Seton,  Earl  of  Dunfermline,  Seventh 

President  of  the  Court  of  Session,  and  Lord  Chancellor  of  Scotland.  By 
George  Seton,  M.A.  Oxon. ;  Author  of  the  'Law  and  Practice  of  Heraldry  in 
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SEYMOUR  AND  ROBERTSON.     The  Golden  Pin ;   or,  A  Week 

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Thousand.     Crown  8vo,  Is. 

SHADWELL.     The  Life  of  Colin  Campbell,  Lord  Clyde.     Illus- 

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General  Shadwell,  C.B.  2  vols.  8vo.  With  Portrait,  Maps,  and  Plans. 
363. 

SHAND.  Letters  from  the  West  of  Ireland.  Reprinted  from  the 
'Times.'  By  Alexander  Innes  Shand,  Author  of  'Letters  from  the  West 
Highlands.'     Crown  8vo,  58. 

SIM.  Margaret  Sim's  Cookery.  With  an  Introduction  by  L.  B. 
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SIME.     King  Capital.     By  William  Sime.     2  vols,  post  8vo,  17s. 

SIMPSON.  Dogs  of  other  Days  :  Nelson  and  Puck.  By  Eve 
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WILLIAM   BLACKWOOD   AND   SONS.  21 


SMITH.     Italian  Irrigation  :  A  Report  on  the  Agricultural  Canals 

of  Piedmont  and  Lombardy,  addressed  to  tlie  Hon.  tlie  Directors  of  the  East 
India  Coiiii)any  ;  with  an  Apjiendix,  containing  a  Sketch  of  the  Irrigation  Sys- 
tem of  Northern  and  Central  India.  By  Lieut. -Col.  R.  Baikd  Smith,  F.G  S., 
Captain,  Bengal  Engineers.  Second  Edition.  2  vols.  8vo,  with  Atlas  in  lolio, 
30S. 

SMITH.     Thorndale  ;  or,  The  Conflict  of  Opinions.     By  William 

Smith,  Author  of  'A  Discourse  on  Ethics,'  &c.  A  New  Edition.  Crown 
8vo,  los.  6d. 

Grav'enhurst  ;    or,  Thoughts  on  Good  and  Evil.     Second 

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A  Discourse  on  Ethics  of  the  School  of  Paley.     8vo,  4s. 

Dramas.      i.   Sir  William  Crichton.      2.   Athehvold.      3. 

Guidone.    24mo,  hoards,  3.S. 

SMITH.      Greek   Testament   Lessons   for   Colleges,   Schools,   and 

Private  Students,  consisting  chiefly  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  the 
Parables  of  our  Lord.  With  Notes  and  Essays.  By  the  Rev.  J.  Hunter 
Smith,  MA.,  First  Assistant  Master  at  Kinc;  Edward's  School,  Birmingham. 
Crown  8vo,  6s. 

SMITH.     Writings  by  the  Way.    By  John  Campbell  Smith, 

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SOLTERA.     A  Lady's  Ride  Across  Spanish  Honduras.     By  Maria 

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SOUTH EY.    The  Birthday,  and  other  Poems.     Second  Edition,  5s. 

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SPEEDY.     Sport  in  the  Highlands  and  Lowlands  of  Scotland  with 

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SPEKE.     What  led  to  the  Discovery  of  the  Nile  Source.     By  John 

Hannino  Speke,  Captain  H.M.  Indian  Arniv.     8vo,  with  Maps,  &c.,  14s. 

SPROTT.     The  Worship  and  Offices  of'  the  Church  of  Scotland  ; 

or,  the  Celebration  of  Public  Worship,  the  Adniini.stration  of  the  Sacraments, 
and  other  Diviue  Offices,  according  to  the  Order  of  the  Church  of  Scotland. 
Bv  George  W.  Sprott,  D.D.,  Minister  of  North  Berwick      Crown  8vo,  6s. 

STARFORTH.  Villa  Residences  and  Farm  Architecture  :  A  Series 
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tion, medium  4to,  £,i,  17s.  6d. 

STATISTICAL   ACCOUNT    OF    SCOTLAND.     Complete,  with 

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turer, the  Naturalist,  the  Tourist,  &c. 

STEPHENS.     The  Book  of  the  Farm  ;  detailing  the  Labours  of  the 

Farmer,  Farm-Steward,  Ploughman,  Shepherd,  Hedger.  Farm-Labourer,  Field- 
Worker,  and  Cattleman.  By  Henry  Stephens,  F.  R.S.E.  Illustrated  with 
Portraits  of  Animals  painted  from  the  life;  and  with  557  Engravings  on  Wood, 
representing  the  principal  Field  Operations,  Implements,  and  Animals  treated 
of  in  the  Work.  A  New  and  Revised  Edition,  the  third,  in  great  part  Re- 
written.    2  vols,  large  8vo,  £,2,  los. 

The  Book  of  Farm  Buildings  ;    their  Arrangement  and 

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Farm;'  and  Robert  Scott  Burn.  Illustrated  with  1045  Plates  and  En- 
gravings.    Large  8vo,  uniform  with  '  The  Book  of  the  Farm,'  &c.     ^i,  us.  6d. 

The   Book  of  Farm    Implements  and   Machines.     By  J. 

Slight  and  R  Scott  Burn,  Engineers.  Edited  by  Henry  Stephens.  Large 
Svo,  uniform  with  'The  Book  of  the  Farm,'  ^■i,  2s. 

Catechism  of  Practical  Agriculture.    With  Engravings,    is. 

STEWART.    Advice  to  Purchasers  of  Horses.     By  John  Stewart, 

V.S.,  Author  of  '  stable  Economy.'     2s.  6d. 

Stable    Economy.      A   Treatise   on    the    Management   of 

Horses  in  relation  to  Stabling,  Grooming,  Feeding,  Watering,  and  Workinij. 
Seventh  Edition,  fcap.  Svo,  6s.  6d. 


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STONE.     Hugh  Moore  :  a  Novel.     By  Evelyn  Stone.     2  vols. 

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STORMONTH.     Etymological  and  Pronouncing  Dictionary  of  the 

English  Language.  Inchiding  a  very  Copious  Selection  of  Scientific  Terms. 
For  Use  in  Schools  and  Colleges,  and  as  a  Book  of  General  Reference.  By  the 
Rev.  James  Stormonth.  The  Pronunciation  carefully  Revised  by  the  Rev. 
P.  H.  Phelp,  M.A.  Cantab.  Eighth  Edition,  Revised  throughout,  contain- 
ing many  words  not  to  be  found  in  any  other  Dictionary.  Crown  8vo,  pp. 
800.     7S.  6d. 

Dictionary     of    the     English     Language,     Pronouncing, 

Etymological,  and  Explanatory.  Revised  by  the  Rev.  P.  H.  Phelp.  Library 
Edition.     Imperial  8vo,  handsomely  bound  in  half  morocco,  31s.  6d. 

The   School   Etymological    Dictionary    and    Word-Book. 


Combining  the  advantages  of  au  ordinary  jironouncing  School  Dictionary 
and  an  Etymological  Spelling-book.    Fcap.  8vo,  pp.  254.     2s. 

STORY.     Graffiti  D' Italia.     By  W.  W.  Story,  Author  of  '  Roba  di 

Roma."    Second  Edition,  fcap.  8vo,  7s.  6d. 

Nero  ;  A  Historical  Play.     Fcap.  8vo,  6s. 

Vallombrosa.     Post  8vo,  5s. 

He  and  She  ;  or,  A  Poet's  Portfolio.  Fcap.  8vo,  in  parch- 
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STRICKLAND.     Lives  of  the  Queens  of  Scotland,  and  English 

Princesses  connected  with  the  Regal  Succession  of  Great  Britain.  By  Agnes 
Strickland.  With  Portraits  and  Historical  Vignettes.  8  vols,  post  8vo, 
£4,  4S. 

STURGIS.     John  -  a  -  Dreams.      A    Tale.     By   Julian    Sturgis. 

New  Edition,  crown  8vo,  3s.  6(1. 

Little  Comedies,  Old  and  New.     Crown  8vo,  7s.  6d. 

SUTHERLAND.     Handbook   of  Hardy   Herbaceous   and   Alpine 

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Language,  of  upwards  of  1000  Species  of  Ornamental  Hardy  Perennial  and 
Alpine  Plants,  adapted  to  all  classes  of  Flower-Gardens,  Rockwork,  and 
Waters  ;  along  with  Concise  and  Plain  Instruction.s  for  their  Propagation  and 
Culture.  By  William  Sutherland,  Gardener  to  the  Earl  of  Minto  ;  formerly 
Manager  of  the  Herbaceous  Department  at  Kew.     Cro^vn  8vo,  7s.  6d. 

TAYLOR.  Destruction  and  Reconstruction :  Personal  Experi- 
ences of  the  Late  War  in  the  United  States.  By  Richard  Tavlor,  Lieutenant- 
General  in  the  Confederate  Army.     8vo,  los.  6d. 

TAYLOR.     The  Story  of  My  Life.     By  the  late  Colonel  Meadows 

Taylor,  Author  of  'The  Confessions  of  a  Thuu','  &c.  &o.  Edited  by  his 
Daughter.     New  and  cheaper  Edition,  being  the  Fourth.     Crown  Svo,  6s. 

TEMPLE.      Lancelot  Ward,   M.P.     A    Love-Story.     By   George 

Temple.     Crown  8vo.     7s.  6d. 

THOLUCK.     Hours  of  Christian  Devotion.     Translated  from  the 

German  of  A.  Tholuck,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Theology  in  the  University  of  Halle. 
By  the  Rev.  Robert  Menzies,  D.  D.  With  a  Preface  written  for  this  Transla- 
tion by  the  Author.     Second  Edition,  crown  8vo,  7s.  6d. 

THOMSON.     Handy  Book  of  the  Flower-Garden  :  being  Practical 

Directions  for  the  Propagation,  Culture,  and  Arrangement  of  Plants  in  Flower- 
Gardens  all  the  year  round.  Embracing  all  classes  of  Gardens,  from  the  largest 
to  the  smallest.  With  Engraved  and  Coloured  Plans,  illustrative  of  the  various 
systems  of  Grouping  in  Beds  and  Borders.  By  David  Thomson,  Gardener  to 
his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  K.G.,  at  Drunilanrig.  Third  Edition,  crown 
Svo,  7S.  6d. 

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series  of  Elaborate  Practical  Treatises  on  the  Cultivation  and  Forcing  of  Pines, 
Vines,  Peaches,  Figs,  Melons,  Strawberries,  and  Cucumbers.  With  Engravings 
of  Hothouses,  &c.,  most  suitable  for  the  Cultivation  and  Forcing  of  these 
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WILLIAM   BLACKWOOD   AND   SONS.  23 


THOMSON.  A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Cultivation  of  the  Grape- 
vine.   By  William  Thomson,  Tweed  Vineyards.    Tenth  Edition.  8vo,  5s. 

TOM    CRINGLE'S    LOG.      A   New  Edition,  with   Illustrations. 

Crown  8vo,  clotli  gilt,  5s.     Cheaji  Edition,  2s. 

TRAILL.     Recaptured   Rhymes.     Bein<,'  a  Batch  of  Political  and 

other  Fugitives  arrested  and  brought  to  Book.     By  H.  D.  Traill.     Crown 

8vo,  5s. 

TRANSACTIONS    OF    THE    HIGHLAND    AND    AGRICUL- 
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TROLLOPE.      An  Autobiography  by   Anthony   Trollope.      Two 

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The  Fixed  Period.     2  vols.  fcap.  8vo,  12s. 

An  Old  Man's  Love.     2  vols,  crown  8vo,  12s. 

TULLOCH.  Rational  Theology  and  Christian  Philosophy  in  Eng- 
land in  the  Seventeenth  Century.  By  John  Tulloch,  D.D.,  Principal  of  St 
Mary's  College  in  the  University  of  St  Andrews;  and  one  of  her  Majesty's 
Chai'lains  in  Ordinary  in  Scotland.     Second  Edition.     2  vols.  8vo,  28s. 

Modern  Theories  in  Philosophy  and  Religion.     8vo,  15s. 

The  Christian  Doctrine  of  Sin  ;  being  the  Croall  Lecture 

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Theism.  The  Witness  of  Reason  and  Nature  to  an  All- 
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Luther,  and  other   Leaders  of  the  Reformation.      Third 


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TWO  STORIES  OF  THE  SEEN  AND  THE  UNSEEN.     'The 

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VEITCH.  Institutes  of  Logic.  By  John  Veitch,  LL.D.,  Pro- 
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[In  the  prfSi'. 

VIRGIL.      The  ^neid  of  Virgil.     Translated  in   English  Blank 

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WALFORD.     The  Novels  of  L.  B.  Walford.     New  and  Uniform 

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Mr  Smith  :  A  Part  of  his  Life.     Ready. 

Cousins.     Ready. 

Pauline 

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Dick  Netherby. 

The  Baby's  Grandmother. 

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WARDEN.     Poems.     By  Francis  Heywood  Warden.     Witli  a 

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WARREN'S  (SAMUEL)  WORKS.    People's  Edition,  4  vols,  crown 

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Now  and  Then.    The  Lily  and  the  Bee.    Intellectual  and  Moral 

Development  of  the  I'rcsent  Age.     4s.  6d. 

Essavs  :  Critical,  Imaginative,  and  Juridical.     5s. 
WARREN.      The   Five   Books   of  the   Psalms.      With   Marginal 
Notes.    By  Rev.  Samuel  L.  Warren,  Rector  of  Esher,  Surrey  ;  late  Fellow, 
Dean,  and  Divinity  Lecturer,  Wadham  College,  Oxford.    Crown  Svo,  5s. 

WATSON.  Christ's  Authority  ;  and  other  Sermons.  By  the  late 
Arohibald  Watson,  D.D.,  Minister  of  the  Parish  of  Dundee,  and  one  of 
Her  Ma.jesty's  Chaplains  for  Scotland.  With  Introduction  by  the  Very 
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24  LIST   OF   BOOKS,   ETC. 


AVEBSTER.    The  Angler  and  the  Loop-Eod.    By  David  Webster. 

lu  one  vol.  crown  8vo,  witli  Illustrations.  [In  the  press. 

WELLINGTON.     WeUington  Prize  Essays  on  "  the  System  of  Field 

Manoeuvres  best  adapted  for  enabling  our  Troops  to  meet  a  Continental  Army." 
Edited  by  Major-General  Sir  Edward  Bruce  Hamley,  K.C.M.G.    8vo,  12s.  6d. 

WESTMINSTER  ASSEMBLY.  Minutes  of  the  Westminster  As- 
sembi}',  while  engaged  in  preparing  their  Directory  for  Church  Government, 
Confession  of  Faith,  and  Catechisms  (November  1644  to  March  1649).  Printed 
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